Donna Noble, Supertemp
by supernova8610
Summary: Danger lurks at one of England’s most prestigious universities. People are disappearing and fear is everywhere. It all seems to have a connection to a man named Cadger Ethyls; but what? Can Donna and the Doctor find out what is wrong before all is lost?
1. A Seemingly Normal Morning

**Story title:** Donna Noble, Supertemp

**Summary:** Danger lurks inside one of England's most prestigious universities. Professors and students are disappearing, and fear runs rampant. Somehow, it all seems to have a connection to a man named Cadger Ethyls; but what? And how? Can the Doctor figure out what is wrong before all is lost?

**Rating: **K+

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**Chapter 1: A Seemingly Normal Morning**

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Donna Noble, Supertemp, of Chiswick. One-hundred words per minute, or so she had uttered on many an occasion throughout her travels with the Doctor. But she no longer traveled with the Doctor; in fact, she did not even remember who the Doctor was. As soon as the two had said good-bye to Jackie, Rose, and his clone, they had left Bad Wolf Bay and recrossed into her own universe. It was there that the Doctor had been forced to wipe every single memory of himself from her, Donna's, mind. The reason, of course, was because she had taken a Time Lord consciousness into her own mind, a very dangerous thing for any human being, since any human's mind wasn't built to cope with the vast knowledge of a Time Lord. So he had wiped every memory of himself from her, saving her life, but at the cost of her not ever being able to see or hear mention of him again, for the rest of her life.

There she had been, in the TARDIS with tears streaming down her cheeks, with the Doctor's hands resting gently on each side of her face. She had been watching all her memories of that amazing, terrible but wonderful, man of Gallifrey flash by in her mind, right in front of her eyes, so that it seemed as though she had been dreaming. And then suddenly, as quick as someone snapping their fingers, it had all gone black. The next thing Donna knew, she had been waking up on her bed, still fully clothed from what she thought was the night before.

Donna had been incensed. The nerve of her mother letting her go to sleep like that, like a flipping kid! She had instantly exited her room (but not before picking up her mobile) and headed in the direction of the living room, where she had heard the voices of her mother and granddad. Dialing a friend's number on the mobile along the way, she had stormed into the room like an angry cat, demanding to know what was up. Only, upon entering, she didn't see just her mother and granddad; there was also another man visiting with them, and a very good looking man at that. So she immediately composed herself, accepted the gorgeous man's introduction (of John Smith), and offered up her own. Then she put the mobile to her ear and had begun chattering away to her friend.

The last thing Donna remembered about that John Smith was when she had been in the kitchen, still chattering away to her friend. He had stopped to stay good-bye to her, so she obliged him, and continued her mobile conversation.

That had all been nearly eight months ago and, at the present moment, Donna was asleep, only this time in a pair of cozy pyjamas under her nice warm bed covers; but not for long.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!

Donna sat up so quickly it nearly made her head swim. She glanced at the time, which read 7:00AM.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-

She hit the snooze button, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and got up. Donna shuddered when her feet hit the floor; it was cold, which was odd as it was summer, but no matter. She stood up and walked over to her dresser, where she picked out a smart-looking outfit to wear for the day; it consisted of a gray skirt and pale white blouse and over that, a posh gray jacket. She was currently working as a temp at a fashion agency; she mainly did secretarial work and fetched coffee for people, but hey, it was in the fashion industry! Donna had always held a fascination with fashion.

As soon as she was done getting dressed, she did her hair and make-up and walked into the kitchen for breakfast. Donna was not surprised to find the kitchen completely void of people; her mum and granddad didn't usually get up until 8:30AM and 9:00AM, respectively. So it was in silence that Donna had her usual bowl of cereal with skim milk; as soon as she was finished, she wrote a quick note saying she was going to work and what time she had left, as well as what time to expect her back home (for some reason, ever since that gorgeous man had been there, eight months previously, her mum had wanted to track her every move like a flipping kid).

Donna got into her mum's car and drove off, to London, where her temping job was. She arrived forty minutes later (the drive usually took about 20 minutes, but the traffic on this morning was particularly bad), as soon as the clock struck 8:13AM.

The fashion agency was located in the heart of London and was a very posh place. It was about 5 floors high, and the entrance way where Donna was now walking had a sleek white marble floor and giant glass windows that overlooked Hyde Park. Donna loved it here. Donna's work, however, was not here in the entrance way; it was up on the third floor in a good sized office. Luckily it also had a large glass window over looking the park.

"Morning, Luke!" Donna called out as she crossed the threshold.

Luke, the receptionist, only grunted in reply.

"Fine then, don't talk to me," Donna muttered under her breath. She entered the lift, which promptly took her to the third floor.

"Donna!" was the first word that Donna heard as she stepped out of the lift.

"Morning, Clyde." Clyde was, of course, Donna's boss. And a good looking boss, at that. He had dark hair that fell elegantly over his face and sparking, attractive blue eyes. "What have you got for me today?"

"Some papers to type up, some to copy and give to me," said Clyde. "Also, there's some paperwork for you to fill out."

Donna groaned. "Can't you get Beatrice to do that? You know how I am with paperwork."

"Unfortunately, not," said Clyde. "She called in sick because she's in Paris, with her parents, so you'll have to do her share of the work."

"Wonderful," Donna muttered. Then, more loudly, she uttered, "And this is all waiting on my desk, yeah?"

Clyde confirmed that it was, and so Donna hurried to her desk without delay. Her desk was in a corner of a large room, surrounded by the window on one side, some plants, then a few other desks at which other people sat, typing away at their computers. She groaned at the amount of papers she saw stacked, and muttered about that dumbo, Beatrice, and the nerve she had of making her, Donna, do all the work.

"Hm, maybe one of these days, I'll wait til there's a lot of work to do, then call in sick and dump it all on Beatrice," said Donna to herself as she sat down. Her purse she place in one of the drawers on the side. "Yeah, that's what I'll do. See how she likes it."

Donna sighed.

"Might as well get started," she said to herself. Then she decided that she should probably stop talking to herself so people wouldn't think she was crazy. So, with that thought in mind, Donna dived into the mountain of papers sitting in front of her.

It was slow going. Donna had only gotten through half of one stack (which was six inches high) before it was time for her morning break at 10:00AM. Stretching and yawning, Donna got up and went into the break room for a cup of coffee; she figured some caffeine would help wake her up.

While she was getting her coffee ready, her boss, Clyde walked in. He was deep in conversation with a man Donna had never seen around the office before. This man was rather squat and had grayish hair, but that was all she could see of him, for his back was turned to her. She couldn't hear much of what they were saying, so she took care to walk as close as she dared to them in order to find out what was going on; she caught the words "Oxford" and "disappearances". Donna would have stayed there longer, listening in, but she couldn't think of a reason why she needed to be in the break room any longer. Which was a shame, because it sounded like an intriguing conversation; but, when she heard the words "blue box", she decided that the two men were just nutters and so dismissed all thoughts of the conversation from her mind. After all, what could some stupid old blue box have to do with someone's disappearance?

Donna went back to her desk and started her work once again, all the while taking sips of her coffee. When she was done with the first stack of papers, she took them to Clyde, who took the papers gladly. Then, Donna went back to her desk to complete the rest of the paperwork, or as much as she could before lunch. Thankfully, the second stack didn't take as long, and she was glad to be done with it by the time lunch finally came around.

Donna's stomach grumbled as she took out her purse and slung it over one shoulder. She didn't think she'd be this hungry; after all, she did have breakfast; but, whatever. Donna took the lift to the ground floor and walked quickly out of the building in search of someplace to eat. There was a café just around the corner that she had taken a liking to, and so it was this café that she set out for.

The sidewalk was fairly crowded with people, both locals and tourists, so it was nearly impossible to Donna to avoid bumping into a very familiar looking man. A man she had not seen for nearly eight months.

"Mr. Smith!" said Donna, with some surprise.

"Donna!" said John Smith. "Call me John."

"Okay, John," said Donna with a bit of a laugh.

"Long time no see, eh?" said John Smith, grinning. Even though it was a warm day, he was wearing a suit and trench coat. Odd.

"Yeah," said Donna. "Not since you were at my house those few months ago."

"Yep, been a while," said John Smith, sticking his hands inside his pockets.

"What were you doing there, anyway? I had never seen you before then."

John Smith hesitated. "Er… I was there on business. Had to talk to your mum and granddad about something of importance."

"Oh really?" said Donna.

"Yep," said John Smith. Then, he suddenly added, "Well, it was nice bumping into you; but, I've got to go. See you around!"

He walked away before Donna could respond.

"How rude!" said Donna to herself. Her stomach grumbled again. "I should've invited him to lunch." She glanced at him; he was still only a dozen feet away from her, but the distance grew each second. "Well, it's not too late, might as well try."

And so she followed after John Smith, or tried to. Since the sidewalk was crowded, it was difficult to get to close to him. It was also difficult to get John Smith's attention because everyone was talking so loudly; but, Donna managed as best she could, and followed him, determined to invite him to lunch.


	2. An Unintentional Mistake

Thanks for the review, Drakochi!!!!

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Kudos to cheri1 for letting me borrow an idea for this chapter!!!

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**Chapter 2: An Unintentional Mistake**

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It was just like any other day. The sun was shining, birds were flitting from tree branch to tree branch, and a pleasant breeze wound its way through the trees. The Doctor smiled to himself as he walked along a tree-lined path; he loved it when the weather was pleasant. Somehow, it distracted him from the darker dealings life sometimes threw his way, and if anything distracted him from that, he welcomed it. But he couldn't enjoy the pleasantness for long, however. So, he quickened his pace along the path, and headed straight for the administration building of Oxford University.

Classes were currently in session, which suited the Doctor just fine; he didn't want too many people seeing him and then being able to report later on a man in a brown trench coat. He also didn't want any of the female students glancing at him and giggling with their friends, trying to hit on him, or just plain checking him out. It had weirded him out enough when the secretary woman at Adipose Industries had tried to ask him out, and he definitely didn't want the entire female population at Oxford to do the same thing, as some had already attempted.

The Doctor looked to his right and left before ascending the worn stone steps into the administration building. As he did so, he got out his psychic paper, just in case.

"Excuse me, sir, can I help you with anything?"

The Doctor stopped in his tracks and turned to his left, where a rather plump, smiling woman of about forty was looking at him.

"Pardon?" said the Doctor.

"Can I help you with anything?" the woman repeated. "My name's Marianne, by the way."

"John Smith," said the Doctor. "I needed to see Cadger Ethyls. Where is his office?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Smith-"

"Call me John," said the Doctor, flashing a smile.

Marianne giggled. "I'm sorry John; Mr. Ethyls isn't in at the moment, but feel free to leave him a message."

"No need," said the Doctor. "I just need to hop to his office real quick."

"I'm sorry-"

The Doctor held out the psychic paper. "Building inspector," he said. "I just need to go to his office; I won't be long. Promise," he added, winking at Marianne, who let out another giggle.

"Of course, Mr. Smith," said Marianne, now twirling a strand of blond hair in her fingers. The Doctor thought she looked rather silly, but wisely kept his mouth shut. "His office is right of the stairs, third door on the right."

"Thank you," said the Doctor. He gave Marianne another wink and was off, up the stairs.

He tried to keep quiet as he reached the landing, for he could hear various people in their offices, either chatting away or typing on their computers. The Doctor reached Cadger Ethyls's office without incident and took out his sonic screwdriver. On the door of Cadger's office was a plaque with his name, then under that, a plaque reading "Chancellor". Luckily, the sounds from the other offices masked the buzzing sound of the screwdriver, and so the Doctor opened the door, entered the office, then closed the door after himself without anyone being the wiser.

The Doctor put away the sonic screwdriver and psychic paper, and went over to a rather large filing cabinet with the label "Student Records". _Aha, here we are_, thought the Doctor. He got out a piece of paper from one of his many pockets; on this piece of paper were written the names of various students, as well as a couple professors. He looked at the first name on his list, a girl by the name of Natasha Brockovitch. Glancing at the file cabinet, he opened the drawer labeled "Bo-Br", and rifled through the many folders. At last, he found the correct folder, took it from the drawer, and set it down on the desk.

The Doctor opened the folder, and on the very front was a picture of Natasha Brockovitch. She was a pretty girl; she had curly brown hair and blue eyes, and also wore glasses. She also looked Russian, and sure enough, when the Doctor checked her place of residence, it read _Moscow, Russia_. From one of his pockets, the Doctor took out a scanning device and with this, he scanned every document, picture, and piece of paper in Natasha's folder; when he was finished, he placed the folder back inside the drawer and closed it.

The Doctor looked at the next name on his list, another student by the name of Kevin Wiltshire. He went to a drawer labeled "We-Wi" and pulled out Kevin's folder. As he had done with the previous one, the Doctor scanned everything he found with the scanning device and placed the folder back inside the drawer. He repeated this process several times, gaining information on students with names like "Jennifer Bradley," "Daniel Stewart," and "Ahija Uhijeen," as well as a couple professors by the names of a rather familiar looking (although the Doctor couldn't quite place him) "James McCrimmon" and "Barbara Ianson."

When the Doctor was finished going down his list, he placed everything back where it had been and exited the office. He hurried back down the stairs, said quick good-bye to Marianne, then exited the building. The campus was deserted, which could only mean classes were still in session, so the Doctor got back to his TARDIS without any interruption.

Now all he had to do was find out where this Cadger Ethyls was. Before the Doctor had left Cadger's office, he had picked up on a reading from his sonic screwdriver, and it was this reading that the Doctor would now follow, for he knew it would lead him to where Cadger Ethyls was; or, at least, the general location of where Cadger Ethyls was. But no matter. Finding Cadger should be simple enough; after all, the Doctor had had over 900 years experience with this kind of thing. From the readings he was getting, the Doctor figured that Cadger Ethyls was somewhere in the heart of London. The Doctor knew there were several buildings and businesses in the part of London, the most notable of which was an ancient theater and a fashion angency. So he twiddled a few dials on the TARDIS console and was off.

The TARDIS landed in an alleyway, directly adjacent to Hyde Park. While it was lunch hour for most people who worked in this area, no one noticed the TARDIS landing due to a perception filter that the Doctor had installed in it. No one heard it either, due to the sounds of people laughing and talking with each other, as well as the sound of traffic rumbling past.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and locked the door behind him. He set off down the alley and onto the crowded sidewalk. He wasn't too keen on getting out his sonic screwdriver, for he didn't want anyone pointing and staring at it; so he tried to find a place that was devoid of people, and once he did (in a deserted art shop), he got out the sonic screwdriver and turned it on.

"Aha!" said the Doctor to himself. "I knew he was around here somewhere!" Then, to the screwdriver he said, "Good girl!"

He pointed the sonic screwdriver in all directions, trying to find the strongest signal he possibly could; from there, he planned to follow that signal to wherever Cadger Ethyls might be.

"Perhaps I should come back later," the Doctor said, again to himself. "Possibly when it's dark, or getting dark. Too many people outside right now to see what I'm doing…" he trailed off. "Ah, here we are!" For the Doctor had found what he wanted.

The sonic screwdriver was pointing in the direction of the fashion agency, and it was here where the strongest signal was located. Unfortunately, since it was indeed too crowded outside right now, the Doctor decided that he would definitely come back later, but at least this time he would know which direction to go in.

"Can I help you, sir?" said a voice.

The Doctor whipped around, stowing the screwdriver inside his brown trenchcoat as he did so.

"No, just checking out a few paintings," he said to the shop owner. "Beautiful works; I might come back later."

He waved good-bye to the shop owner and left the building.

The Doctor decided to wait out the rest of the time until evening in his TARDIS, investigating the case of the disappearances at Oxford. At first, when the Doctor had heard about it, he had dismissed it, but on the urgency of Sarah-Jane's insistence, he had obliged and was almost immediately glad he did, for it proved to be an interesting case. Disappearances at England's most prestigious university and a connection to a Cadger Ethyls; this case had the Doctor's name written all over it.

As before, the sidewalk was fairly crowded with people, both locals and tourists, so it was nearly impossible for the Doctor to avoid bumping into a very familiar looking woman; a woman with red hair and a firey personality. A woman he not seen for nearly eight months.

"Mr. Smith!" said Donna, with some surprise.

"Donna!" said the Doctor. "Call me John."

"Okay, John," said Donna with a bit of a laugh.

"Long time no see, eh?" said the Doctor, grinning.

"Yeah," said Donna. "Not since you were at my house those few months ago."

"Yep, been a while," said the Doctor. He put his hands inside his pockets and bounced alternately on the toes and heals of his trainers. He was also desperately hoping that Donna would not realize and remember who he really was; he didn't think he could bear it if that happened.

"What were you doing there, anyway? I had never seen you before then," said Donna.

The Doctor hesitated. "Er… I was there on business. Had to talk to your mum and granddad about something of importance."

"Oh really?" said Donna.

"Yep," said the Doctor. Then, he suddenly added, "Well, it was nice bumping into you; but, I've got to go. See you around!"

He thought he heard Donna utter a "how rude" and then say something about inviting him to lunch. The Doctor quickened his pace. He would love nothing more than to dine with Donna and catch up on the times, but he knew he couldn't. He wouldn't risk Donna's death for a few minutes of nostalgia.

"Damn it," the Doctor muttered under his breath; he had just realized that Donna was following him as best she could through the crowded sidewalk.

Donna kept trying to get his attention, but the Doctor only ignored her. He hoped he would be able to reach his TARDIS in time before Donna even reached the alley way, and so quickened his pace. He uttered another "damn it" when he realized that Donna was even closer behind him now, and so quickened his pace even further; but, Donna was too quick for him.

Just as the Doctor was about to round the corner into the alley way, Donna finally caught up with him.

"Damn it," said the Doctor yet again.

"What was that?" said Donna sharply.

"Er… nothing," said the Doctor. He looked around for lack of anything to say. "Donna, why did you follow me?" he said at last with a sigh.

"There's no need to pout, John," said Donna. "I only wanted to invite you to have lunch with me, but if you think you're so high and mighty that you don't have to associate with me, then you can buck off!"

The Doctor nearly smiled; he had missed Donna, but no matter how much, he couldn't risk her remembering anything.

"Well?" said Donna, crossing her arms. She started tapping her foot.

The Doctor sighed. "No, Donna, it's not that, it's just… I'm kind of busy." He moved to the side slightly and tried to block the TARDIS from Donna's line of sight.

"Busy doing what?" Donna tried to see around the Doctor, but he got in her way. "Oi, I'm talking to you!"

"Yes, I know that," said the Doctor, still trying to block the TARDIS from view, but Donna's wandering eyes and curiosity made this difficult. "I'm just…busy. Now why don't you go on and have a lovely lunch by yourself?"

He tried to distract Donna so he could get away, but Donna wasn't falling for it.

"Oi, don't be so rude, Mr. High and Mighty!" Donna said loudly. She kept trying to see around the Doctor, to see what was behind him. "What are you trying to hide?"

"Er… me? Nothing," said the Doctor. "Now go on and have a nice lunch."

"No!" said Donna. "I don't believe you. You're hiding something. I know it. Now tell me what the _hell_ is it?!"

"No! Now go away and have a nice lunch!" said the Doctor, but Donna was having none of it. She finally pushed the Doctor aside, out of the way. "Donna! No!" he shouted, desperate. A few passerby stopped and stared at him a moment before moving on. "Donna!"

Donna had walked only a few short steps into the alley way when she stopped. Her eyes rested on the TARDIS.

The Doctor ran up to her. "Donna," he said. His breathing was careful, yet quick. "Donna?"

No response. Donna was looking at the TARDIS, as if confused.

"Donna? Why don't we go have that lunch together, like you wanted?" The Doctor paused. "Donna?" he said more urgently.

Suddenly, Donna's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped half-way open, as though open in surprise. But the Doctor knew it wasn't in surprise.

"Donna?" he said again, this time sadly, but he knew it was too late. He should have headed Donna off right then and there when he first met her on the sidewalk. He shouldn't have let her follow him so far. It was too late. Oh, why did he have to come down to London right now?? Why couldn't he have just come that evening instead? He was so stupid, foolish! And now look at what happened, as a result! He knew what was going to happen next; knew it, but dreaded it.

The Doctor placed a hand on Donna's shoulder. "Donna?"

Donna turned to face him. Tears were in her eyes, streaming down her face.

She spoke, softly, "Doctor?"

The Doctor's hearts stopped. No. Not now. Not Donna! He faced her and placed his other hand on her other shoulder. He looked her in the eyes. "Donna?" His breathing came ever so carefully.

"Doctor," said Donna. "I remember. Everything!" More tears streamed down her face, and the Doctor felt a couple of his own tears escape his eyes.

"Donna," he said. "Oh Donna, I am so sorry this ever had to happen to you!"

"Doctor, it hurts." Donna's voice was quiet now, almost in a child-like manner, yet her eyes were still full of tears. "My head; it hurts."

"I know, Donna, I know," said the Doctor. "Let's get to the TARDIS, ok?" he said gently through the tears.

Slowly, he began to lead Donna toward the TARDIS. He wished he could kill himself for ever letting this happen to her; he couldn't bear the pain.

"Doctor, my head!" said Donna. Her voice was light, and it sounded panicked. The Doctor tried not to let himself panic as well. "It's burning! It hurts, and it's burning up!"

The Doctor quickened his pace, still trying his utmost to stay calm. As soon as they crossed over the threshold into the TARDIS, it happened: Donna gave a scream of pain, a scream so heart-wrenching that it tore the Doctor to pieces.

"DONNA!" He shouted.

Donna was clutching her head, crying. Then, not one second later, she collapsed. In an almost fluid movement she fell and hit the floor of the TARDIS, oblivious to the Doctor's scream of horror as he moved to catch her.

"DONNA!!" But the Doctor knew shouting wouldn't be any good. His hearts were racing as he knelt there, Donna in his arms. He was panicked; he didn't know what to do. What could he do? Donna was dying, and it was all his horrible, horrible fault!! How would he ever be able to face anyone again and not think of what he had done to her?

He's gaze swept all around the TARDIS, at a loss of what to do. After all, what could he possibly do? He wanted to help her, he really did, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing! Donna, human being with a Time Lord brain, the most important woman in the universe, and here she was, dying a death no one should ever have to endure! But then, he remembered, as though in stuttered string…

Donna... Human… Time Lord brain… He, the Doctor had once been a human, with his true Time Lord self kept inside a fob watch, and it was all thanks to the Chameleon Arch…

The Doctor gasped. _The Chameleon Arch!!_ Could it possibly work? Could the Chameleon Arch possibly heal Donna?? Suddenly, the Doctor was full of a wild and wonderful feeling of the most joyous hope imaginable. He stood up, bring Donna's now unconscious form with him. Then, he brought her over to where it hung, ready, waiting to be used.

_Here we go,_ thought the Doctor, and he hooked Donna up to the Chameleon Arch.


	3. The Restoration of Donna Noble

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Thanks for the reviews, cheri1 and nathanrdotca!!!!

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In case any of you were wondering, the idea I borrowed from cheri1 was that of Donna and the Chameleon Arch. So, again, major kudos to cheri1!

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**Chapter 3: The Restoration of Donna Noble**

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_Donna... Human… Time Lord brain… He, the Doctor had once been a human, with his true Time Lord self kept inside a fob watch, and it was all thanks to the Chameleon Arch…_

_The Doctor gasped. The Chameleon Arch!! Could it possibly work? Could the Chameleon Arch possibly heal Donna?? Suddenly, the Doctor was full of a wild and wonderful feeling of the most joyous hope imaginable. He stood up, bring Donna's now unconscious form with him. Then, he brought her over to where it hung, ready, waiting to be used._

_Here we go, thought the Doctor, and he hooked Donna up to the Chameleon Arch._

o

He knew it was a desperate attempt, but he sincerely hoped that there was a possibility it might work. It _had_ to. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. In his hopes with the Chameleon Arch, the Doctor hoped that it would heal Donna completely. Well, not completely. He knew he would never be able to heal Donna completely of her Time Lord brain; rather, what he was wishing for was for Donna to heal- that is, to keep her human self, yet also heal so that she would be able to keep her Time Lord brain. So, in essence, she would be a human being with a fully functional alien brain; the smartest human being the world has known.

The Doctor finished hooking Donna up to the Chameleon Arch, twiddled a few dials, and went over to turn the switch on. The Chameleon Arch showed the usual signs of working: a slight buzzing sound, electricity to be seen moving from the different strategic points, and the person connected to the arch, being shaken slightly due to the Arch itself; for, whenever the Chameleon Arch was turning someone into someone else, it started vibrating. The Doctor remembered this from when he had been attached to it, back when he traveled with Martha. He also remembered the pain it caused, the pain he felt as his very biological sense of being was changed, every one of his cells, changed; and it nearly broke him to know that Donna was now experiencing the same pain. Although, he hoped that, since she was going to retain her human self but with a new improved brain, that Donna wouldn't experience as much of the pain as he, the Doctor had.

Unfortunately, almost as soon as the Doctor had flipped the on switch, the Chameleon Arch began to malfunction. Sure, it did display its usual signs of working properly, but suddenly, that all began to change.

Smoke started pouring from the Chameleon Arch and it began shaking to a lethal degree, even moreso than when the Doctor had been on it. Even though Donna was unconscious, it was clear to the Doctor that she was still feeling a great amount pain. The Doctor's hearts nearly broke at this, and he let out a shout of panic as the Chameleon Arch began shaking even more. No. No no NO!! This couldn't be happening! The Chameleon Arch was never supposed to malfunction! Absolutely never! Oh, what was the Doctor to do?! He hurriedly went to the switch board to try and turn it off, but to no avail; everything seemed to be stuck, glued in place. Even the sonic screwdriver didn't make a difference.

Weird noises could now be heard, amongst the smoke and shaking of the Arch; strange noises, almost as of metal grinding against metal. The Doctor dashed to where Donna was and tried to detach the Chameleon Arch, but to his dismay, he was unsuccessful. This was NOT good. If Donna died as a result of this… No, he would not think those thoughts… he would find a way to make it all stop; he _knew_ he would, he would make sure he did. And then, suddenly, almost miraculously, as if the Chameleon Arch had been listening to the Doctor's thoughts, everything stopped and both the Arch and Donna became as still as death.

o

She was tired, oh so tired. Her head and entire body ached, as if it had gone through the very fires of hell itself, bashed and battered along the way. This was definitely not the best Donna had ever felt, to put it lightly. As Donna slowly returned to consciousness, she slowly began to realize where she was. But where _was_ that? All she knew now was that she seemed to be lying in bed, and a comfortable one at that. A warm blanket was covering her, for Donna could feel it. She seemed also to be dressed in something that felt like pyjamas, but how had that happened? Donna seemed to remember wearing…well, not pyjamas, but clothes for her temping job at the fashion agency.

_What_ on Earth had happened? How did she get here, wherever she was? The last thing Donna remembered was seeing that man, John Smith… no, that wasn't who he was… The last thing she remember was seeing… who?... the Doctor! She had brushed past him and seen the TARDIS! And then suddenly, all memories of the Doctor had come rushing back into her mind, rushing, as if a lorry truck had slammed into her going at full speed. And then… she didn't remember much of what happened after that. She remembered the Doctor leading her into the TARDIS, but after that, it had all gone black.

So how did she get here, wherever _here_ was? Donna slowly raised her left arm and placed her hand over her face; she did the same with her right hand and arm. With her hands she rubbed sleep from her eyes (how she could have sleep in her eyes if she had only been unconscious, is what she'd like to know, but no matter) and brushed hair from her face. Then, she was startled by a voice speaking, from her right-hand side.

"How are you feeling?"

Donna turned her head and saw the Doctor. He was sitting in a wicker chair by her bedside, looking at her with some concern.

"Doctor?" Donna tried to get up into a sitting position.

"No, don't sit up just yet; you need as much rest right now as you can get," said the Doctor.

"But what happened?" Donna asked. If she couldn't get into a sitting position, she could at least turn on her side so that she could face the Doctor, and that is exactly what she did.

"I'll explain that in a moment," said the Doctor. "First, I want to know how are you feeling?"

"I'm…fine, I guess," said Donna.

"No aches or pains?"

"Well, it feels like my head's been banged up against a brick wall and my body feels like something heavy ran over it."

"I guessed that you would," said the Doctor.

"Why?" asked Donna. She was confused; what could the Doctor mean by that? "What happened? Where am I?"

Even as she said it, she took a glance around the room. The walls were all made of what appeared to be some kind of metallic wood and the floor was covered in carpet the color or an evening sky. Donna now saw that the pyjamas she was wearing were a deep royal purple. The bed she was lying it was a modern-looking one with four posts, one for each corner. She was covered in a thick, warm comforter the color of dark red wine, and with a set design of leaves embroidered all over. Her head rested on two pillows covered in white pillowcases, the same color as the sheets underneath the comforter. There was a nightstand on both sides of the bed; the one on the left hand side had a vase with a single orange flower. The nightstand to her right held two glasses of water and a bowl of what appeared to be soup. It was in front of this nightstand the Doctor sat, in the wicker chair. He had a damp washcloth in one hand.

"What's the cloth for?" Donna asked.

"For your forehead," the Doctor replied. "You were burning up, and I used this to help cool you down."

"Oh." There was a pause, then Donna asked, once more, "Where am I?"

"You're in the TARDIS," said the Doctor.

"But how did I get here?"

"Don't you remember?" the Doctor asked.

"I remember you dragging me into the console room, but that's about it," said Donna.

"That's because you blacked out," said the Doctor.

"Gee, you think?" came the sarcastic reply.

The Doctor ignored her. He continued. "When you saw the TARDIS, all the memories of myself that I wiped from your mind came back; and, since no human can ever have a Time Lord brain, all that knowledge you were remembering was beginning to literally burn you up. You were dying."

"But I'm not dead," interjected Donna.

"Quite obviously," said the Doctor. He held up a hand to quiet Donna, who was about to make an indignant reply. "You're not dead because, out of desperation to stop you from burning up, I hooked you up to the Chameleon Arch. I assume you know-"

"Of course I know what the Chameleon Arch is," said Donna waspishly. "I'm not a stupid ape. And anyway, I thought the Chameleon Arch was only supposed to change a Time Lord into a human?"

"It can do more than just that to a Time Lord," said the Doctor. "But no matter; like I said, I was desperate and, since you already had a Time Lord brain, I figured it wouldn't harm you to use it. By hooking you up to the Arch, I hoped to heal you. And by "heal" I don't mean take away your Time Lord brain. I mean that, I hoped that it would heal you in the sense that it would keep you from burning up and dying; that it would restore you, in essence. In other words, it would make it so that your humanity was kept and your Time Lord mind preserved: the restoration of Donna Noble. A human being with a Time Lord brain, a human who could withstand all that vast and great knowledge and not burn up."

"So that's what it did, yeah? I'm still human, but with a mind like yours?" Donna laughed. "Like the smartest human on Earth?"

"Not exactly," said the Doctor with some hesitation.

"_What_?" said Donna, now looking dangerous.

"No, no! That's not what I meant!!" said the Doctor. "You are smart! But you're…not exactly human."

Donna gasped and sat up, despite the Doctor not wanting her too. "WHAT???" she shouted. "What do you mean, I'm not _human_?? Like you're one to talk, space boy!!"

"That's not what I mean!" He groaned and ruffled his hair. "Donna…"

"Then what did you mean?" When the Doctor hesitated, Donna added, "Speak up, space man."

The Doctor picked up one of the glasses of water and took a sip. Placing the glass back down, he said, "I mean that, almost right after I switched on the Chameleon Arch, it started to malfunction. I tried to stop it, to turn it off, but nothing I did worked. Finally, the Arch _did_ shut down, on its own. You were so still, I was afraid you'd died. So I checked for a pulse, which, thank the vortex I found. But you were still unconscious, so I unhooked you from the Chameleon Arch and brought you to the TARDIS's medical bay, a large room with two smaller rooms attached, full of the most sophisticated medical equipment in the entire universe. My original intent, as you now know, was to preserve your human-ness, yet make it so that you would be able to live with a Time Lord mind without burning up. But, since the Chameleon Arch had malfunctioned, I wanted to take you to the med bay to make sure you were all right, too see how the malfunction had affected you, and, of course, to make sure that there wasn't any damage."

"Was there any damage?" asked Donna.

"No."

"Well, that's good then, isn't it? I'm still human, but I have a Time Lord mind."

The Doctor ignored her. "No damage was to be detected. So the next thing I did was to be sure what, exactly, the Chameleon Arch malfunction had done to you and how it affected you. I did a few tests, drew some blood, took some biological samples from your cells, things like that…things that would be done on any visit to a family doctor." The Doctor sighed, took a deep breath, and continued. "I had to wait a bit for the full results, but once I had them, they were…well, not exactly what I had expected, to understate it."

Donna was breathing slowly. It was easy to see that she was slightly scared and, let's face it, who wouldn't be, if they were in her place?

"What were the results?" she said, in almost a whisper.

"I realized that, due to the malfunction, you weren't just any human with a Time Lord mind."

"What do you mean?" said Donna.

The Doctor looked at her. "Donna, it turned you into a Time Lord."

oOo

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	4. Locating the Source

Thanks for the review, cheri1!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 4: Locating the Source**

oOo

"_No damage was to be detected. So the next thing I did was to be sure what, exactly, the Chameleon Arch malfunction had done to you and how it affected you. I did a few tests, drew some blood, took some biological samples from your cells, things like that…things that would be done on any visit to a family doctor." The Doctor sighed, took a deep breath, and continued. "I had to wait a bit for the full results, but once I had them, they were…well, not exactly what I had expected, to understate it."_

_Donna was breathing slowly. It was easy to see that she was slightly scared and, let's face it, who wouldn't be, if they were in her place? _

"_What were the results?" she said, in almost a whisper._

"_I realized that, due to the malfunction, you weren't just any human with a Time Lord mind."_

"_What do you mean?" said Donna._

_The Doctor looked at her. "Donna, it turned you into a Time Lord."_

o

"A _WHAT?!_" Donna shouted, so loud it nearly took out the Doctor's ear drums (who covered his ears with his hands, so as to protect them). She was pissed, to say the least, and the Doctor knew it.

"Now, Donna," said the Doctor cautiously, "there's no need to panic-"

"NO REASON TO PANIC?" shouted Donna. "I'M NOT PANICKING, BUT YOU SURE WILL BE ONCE I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!!"

"Donna-"

"Don't "Donna" _me_, space man!" Donna shouted, then her voice became dangerously quiet. "What the _bloody hell_ gave YOU the right to change me into some type of bloody ALIEN? No offense," she added.

"Donna, it's not like that!!" Protested the Doctor.

"I liked being a human; it's who I am (or was). Can't you turn me back?" Donna pleaded; the Doctor could see how much she wanted this, and it hurt to know that she couldn't ever turn back.

"Donna, I'm sorry, but that's not possible," said the Doctor. "If I did, you wouldn't officially be a human any more-"

"Little late for that," Donna snarled.

The Doctor ignored her. "The Arch would do to you what it did to me- and then, it wouldn't even be real, you'd lose memory of me, yes; but it would all be superficial. None of it would really be real (even though it would seem like it) because, to be frank, you're a Time Lady now. It's permanent. Sure, you could become human, but it wouldn't exactly last forever." The Doctor took a deep breath and continued. "Donna, you have to realize that what I did, I did it to save your life! I didn't know the Chameleon Arch was going to do this! If anything, blame the Arch, not me! I only meant to heal your human side so that you could remain human but keep the Time Lord brain; it's not my fault this happened to you."

Even though it infuriated her to admit it, Donna knew he was right, and so conceded. Plus, she could see how much the Doctor was hurting from this, and didn't think it would be right to keep nagging on him about it.

"How did I get in the bed?" Donna said at last, after a moment of silence. "And how did I get into these?" She gestured at the deep purple pyjamas.

"Oh, I did all that," said the Doctor, rather proudly, as if he had accomplished some great deed. At Donna's raised eyebrow, he went on to say, "After I was done examining you in the medical bay, I knew you would be tired and aching from what you just went through. So I decided to bring you in here."

"Your bedroom?" Donna asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" The Doctor asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing," said Donna innocently. "You were saying?"

"Oh, right," said the Doctor. "Like I said, I brought you in here, but I knew you wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in your clothes. So, I took out a pair of my old pyjamas and dressed you in them."

Donna gasped, horrified. "You saw me…_naked?!_"

"Well…you saw _me_ naked!"

"That wasn't you, it was your clone! And anyway, you're missing the point!"

"Right; sorry," said the Doctor.

"Make sure it doesn't happen again," said Donna, glaring at him.

"It won't," said the Doctor.

Donna glanced around the room once more and saw that the clothes she had been wearing earlier were on hangers, hanging from a door, which appeared to be a lead-in to a closet.

"I like the color of these pyjamas," said Donna after the silence between her and the Doctor had gone on longer than she would've liked.

"Thank you," said the Doctor cheerfully.

"But why purple?"

"What's wrong with purple? Purple's a nice color. I like purple."

"Yeah, I gathered that, space man," said Donna. Then, "Thanks, you know… for everything."

"You're welcome, Donna," said the Doctor. He smiled appreciatively. "Anything for you, space lady!"

"OI! Don't get smart with me, Doctor!"

"Sorry."

Another moment of silence.

"So what have you been up to, Doctor?" Donna asked. "Still out and about, saving the world, then?"

"I have been out and about," the Doctor confirmed. "I was just here in London because I'm investigating a rash of disappearances happening at Oxford University."

"But Oxford isn't in London," Donna pointed out.

"Yes, I know that," the Doctor replied. "But there was a signal I picked up from the Chancellor's office when I was at Oxford, and it led me to the area near where I bumped into you." The Doctor spent a couple minutes explaining to Donna about the whole situation and what he had been doing.

"So can I help at all?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," said the Doctor. "Why not? After all, you're one of us now. Well, one of me. Well, a Time Lord... I mean Time Lady. Well, you know what I mean."

Donna laughed. It was good to see the Doctor again and have an adventure to look forward to, even if she was a Time Lady.

"So when can I get out of bed?"

"Not for a while yet," said the Doctor. "That Chameleon Arch sure did a number on you, so you'll need a few more hour's rest before you can get out. And then, I suppose we'll have to make a visit to your mom and granddad; let them know what's going on with you. Anyway, night night!"

"Where are you going?" asked Donna, for the Doctor had gotten up from the wicker chair.

"I figured I'd tinker around in the TARDIS for a bit, since you don't need watching over anymore," said the Doctor. "I have a few sonic lipsticks, too. I gave most of them to Sarah Jane because every woman needs a few extra lipsticks, but I figured I'd give you a couple to use."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Donna, grinning.

"No problemo," he replied. "Anyway, you go get your rest. If you need, me, just holler."

The Doctor gave Donna a cheerful wink and left the room.

A few hours later found Donna fast asleep, curled up under the warm covers. She was very comfortable and, because she was so deeply asleep, didn't wake up when the Doctor entered the room. The Doctor had accidentally knocked over a vase when he was tip-toeing to Donna's bedside, which landed on the floor with a _thud_.

"What the?" he muttered. "Glass is supposed to be breakable! Weird." Shaking his head at the oddity, he continued to Donna's bedside.

She looked so peaceful, the Doctor almost didn't want to disturb her; but, he knew she had to get up. He wanted to see Donna's mum and granddad as soon as possible to explain the situation to them. So, without further ado, the Doctor tapped Donna on the shoulder and said her name aloud.

o

She was asleep, so comfortable, so cozy. Donna could stay here forever, in the land of dreams, but that was not to be, for she was woken by someone tapping her shoulder and saying her name in her ear.

"Donna," came the Doctor's voice. "Donna, time to get up!"

Donna stirred.

"Donna," said the Doctor once more.

"What is it?" asked Donna sleepily.

"Time to get up," said the Doctor.

Donna opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Her body and head were no longer aching, thankfully. As she was getting out of the bed, she asked, "Are we going to mum's and granddad's?"

"Yes, we are," said the Doctor. "But first you need to get out of those pyjamas."

Donna gasped. "I am NOT undressing in front of you!!"

"No! No no no! That's not what I was aiming at!" said the Doctor immediately. "I just meant that you should get changed into some other clothes. This TARDIS has a huge closet, bigger than this bedroom, full of women's clothes; I had the TARDIS make that room for any female companions who might be traveling with me."

"Well, that's fortunate," said Donna. "At least I'm not the first woman on board, so it's good you've had practice."

The Doctor groaned. "Donna-"

"Sorry, Doctor."

"It's ok," the Doctor replied.

"So where's this huge closet?" Donna asked.

The Doctor said nothing in reply; instead, he gestured for her to follow him. He led Donna from the room and out into a long hall, where he turned left and went down a ways before opening another door which, of course, led to the huge closet in questions. He allowed Donna inside and told her that she could pick out whatever she wanted while he would be in the console room if she needed anything. Donna thanked him, and the Doctor winked at her before leaving her to herself.

Donna browsed through the many, many clothes in the room and chose a pair of jeans, a golden-colored shirt that shimmered in the light, and a brown colored jacket. She put these on and then began to look for something to wear on her feet. Donna found a couple pairs of shoes she liked: a pair of black boots and a pair of gold heels. Upon deciding that, were she to wear the heels, it would be too much of the same color, she placed the heels back on a shelf; Donna then grabbed a pair of socks and sat down to put them, and the black boots, on. When she was finished, she took the purple pyjamas and folded them, then brought them with her as she exited the room.

"Doctor?" Donna shouted down the hall.

"I'm in here," called the Doctor's voice.

"Where's 'here'?" Donna called back.

"Console room," came the reply.

So, Donna walked down the hall, completely loving her new outfit, and entered the console room, where the Doctor was fiddling with a couple switches on the console itself. He flipped one of them on and the TARDIS gave a lurch, causing Donna to nearly fall over.

"Oi, you want to be a bit more careful, space man," said Donna, upon regaining her balance.

"Sorry," said the Doctor apologetically.

Donna held out the purple pyjamas she was holding and asked, "Where should I put these?"

The Doctor, who had gone back to fiddling with and flipping the switches, looked up and replied, "Hm? Oh, I'll take those." And he placed them on the bench-like seat in front of the console.

"Are we going to my mum's and granddad's now?" Donna asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yep," he replied, dashing around the console to turn a dial. He flipped yet another switch, then suddenly remembered something he had said earlier. "Oh! The sonic lipstick!" And he dashed out of the room leaving behind a slightly bewildered Donna. The Doctor was not gone long, however; soon he was re-entering the room and holding out a sonic lipstick.

"It's lipstick," said Donna, staring at it.

"Gee, I hadn't noticed," said the Doctor sarcastically. "It functions just like my sonic screwdriver only, of course, it's a tube of lipstick. Perfect for concealing in one's purse."

Donna grinned. She thought it was sweet of the Doctor to give her something like this, and she told him so. "Thank you, Doctor," she added, still smiling. She took the sonic lipstick from him and placed it in her jacket pocket.

"Another thing," the Doctor said suddenly. "Now that you're a Time Lady, I suppose you'll be wanting to travel full time with me, in my TARDIS?"

"Well, duh I want to travel full time with you in your TARDIS," said Donna, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, I wanted to travel full time with you when I was human; that hasn't changed one bit."

The Doctor grinned and bounced on the heels of his trainers. "Well then, since that's the case, you'll need one of these."

From one of his brown trench coat pockets, he pulled a pretty silver-colored chain. Attached at the end of this chain was a TARDIS key. He handed it over to Donna, who took it with a wide-eyed delight.

"I figured you could wear it like a-"

The Doctor had been going to say "necklace", but was stopped when Donna rushed up to him and gave him a bear hug.

"Thank you, Doctor!" said Donna, obviously happy. She held onto the hug a moment longer, then separated herself from the Doctor. She placed the chain around her neck and let the TARDIS key hang there, sparkling in the light. She gazed at it a moment longer before placing the key under her shirt so that it would remain hidden from enemy eyes.

"Good idea," said the Doctor. "Anyway, shall we pay your mum and granddad a visit?" He smiled and, without waiting for an answer, ran around the console, flipped a few switches, turn a couple dials, and the TARDIS was off.

o

The Doctor and Donna arrived in Chiswick just as the afternoon was about to pass into the evening. Donna usually arrived home around this hour, so she figured that her mum and granddad wouldn't have had any chance to worry about her whereabouts. Donna told the Doctor this, who agreed.

They parked the TARDIS in an empty storage shed on an abandoned piece of property approximately one block away from the house; this way, Sylvia and Wilf wouldn't need to hear the sound of the TARDIS and worry about Donna's mind burning up. The Doctor figured this would be best for the moment; he wanted to ease Sylvia and Wilf into what he and Donna were going to tell them, so he and Donna would walk up the road to the house. Later, once the news was out, the Doctor would walk back to the TARDIS and re-park it inside the living room.

As the Doctor and Donna walked up the street, they took in the surrounding scenes of children playing in their yards, of families just inside preparing dinner, and of the general activities of the residents.

"It's hard to believe that I'm not really human any longer," said Donna.

"It'll take getting used to," said the Doctor.

"Well yeah, I know," said Donna. "But still…I'm a flipping _Time Lady_."

The Doctor grinned.

"I wonder how mum and granddad are doing to react when they hear the news," Donna wondered aloud.

"I dunno," replied the Doctor. "We have nothing to do except tell them and see how they take it."

"Yeah," agreed Donna.

She and the Doctor arrived at the front door of the house a few minutes after. He pushed his finger on the doorbell and the two heard a rather cheerful tinkling sound from inside. In the time between the ringing and the hearing of footsteps toward the door, the Doctor and Donna quickly discussed just how, exactly, they were going to break the news to Donna's mum and granddad. Just as they finished, the doorknob turned and the door creaked open to reveal Wilf's wrinkled, bearded face.

As soon as it registered with Wilf as to who, exactly, was standing on the porch, his eyes went wide and a stunned expression took over his features.

"Doc- I mean, Mr. Smith!" said a surprised Wilf. "What…what are you doing here? And Donna! How-?"

"Good evening, Granddad," said Donna, giving Wilf a hug. "I ran into John Smith, here, while I was on my lunch break. It's been a while since I've seen him, so I thought I'd invite him over."

"May we come in?" said the Doctor pleasantly.

"Of course, John," said Wilf, with a glance at Donna. As the two stepped over the threshold, Wilf whispered into the Doctor's ear, "Doctor, what's going on? I thought you said Donna could never remember you again without burning up?"

The Doctor replied, equally as quietly, "I'll explain everything."

"John," said Donna, "feel free to have a seat in the living room; I'll bring you and granddad some tea."

"That would be lovely, thank you," said the Doctor. Wilf had already headed toward the living room, and so did not see the wink he gave Donna.

The Doctor followed Wilf into the living room and the two sat down on separate sofas, each adjacent to the other.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Wilf asked in a low voice.

"I'll explain everything, don't worry, Wilfred," said the Doctor. "Is Sylvia here, by any chance?"

"Yeah, she's here," said Wilf. "Why do you ask?"

"Because what I have to say is something she should hear as well."

"She's in the kitchen," said Wilf. "Probably cleaning it."

"Well, since Donna went in there, I'm guessing she told Sylvia about me being here," said the Doctor. "And Sylvia will most likely come in here to see me for herself."

Sure enough, the Doctor was right. Donna entered the living room carrying a tray with a pot of tea and not two, not three, but four teacups. Behind her followed Sylvia with an expression on her face somewhere between curiosity and alarm.

"Dad, what's going on?" Sylvia whispered furiously to Wilf. She sat down beside him. "And what's _he_ doing here?" By 'he," of course, Sylvia meant the Doctor.

Donna set down the tray and poured tea into the cups. She then placed the teapot back down and handed a cup each to her mum, granddad, and the Doctor. She took the last one for herself and sat down next to the Doctor.

"Long time no see, eh?" said the Doctor cheerily; his smile faltered under Sylvia's harsh gaze. He gulped.

"You said you wanted to tell us something, Doc- er, I mean… John?" said Wilf.

"What, did you get my daughter pregnant and then were forced to do a hurriedly patched-up wedding?"

"Mum!"

"Er, no, that's not it," said the Doctor, a little uncomfortably.

"Now Sylvia, is that any way to treat a guest?" said Wilf quietly.

"Sorry, Dad," said Sylvia. "But why the bloody hell is he here? You know what he said would happen if Donna ever remembered him!"

"Perhaps the…John, should explain?" Donna suggested, sipping her tea.

"I think he better had," said Sylvia.

The Doctor took a deep breath, sipped his tea, and began. He started with how Donna had first seen him, and how he had at first tried to dismiss her despite her attempts to get to him. He told Wilf and Sylvia about how, even though he had tried to prevent it, Donna had seen the TARDIS and had then started to burn up.

"Then why is she still alive?" said Sylvia. "You said she'd die!"

"Did you wipe her memories again?"

"Of course he didn't, Dad, or Donna would be burning up right now."

"Ah, right you are," said Wilf.

"Anyway," continued the Doctor. "Out of desperation, I took her inside the TARDIS and hooked her up to the Chameleon Arch-"

"Chameleon Arch?" said Sylvia. "What's a Chameleon Arch?"

"It changes a Time Lord into a human," said the Doctor. "But it can do more things than just that."

"So why did you hook her up to it?" asked Wilf.

"In doing so," said the Doctor, "I hoped to heal her completely. I hoped to make it so that her humanity would remain intact, but so that she would still retain the Time Lord consciousness."

"So you wanted to make it so that she'd be human with a Time Lord mind, retain her memories of you, and she wouldn't burn up at all; she'd just be one hell of a smart person?"

The Doctor nodded, only it was Donna who spoke. "Exactly, granddad."

"Well, it's all settled then," said Sylvia. "You're still my Donna, but with extra special intelligence."

Donna hesitated. "Well, not exactly."

The Doctor went on to explain how the Chameleon Arch had started malfunctioning, and how he tried to stop it, but couldn't. He ended it by telling Wilf and Sylvia the truth about what Donna now was.

"IT TURNED HER INTO AN ALIEN???"

"Mum, I'm not an alien!"

"Way to go, sweetheart!" said Wilf, smiling.

"Don't encourage her, Dad," said Sylvia.

"What? Why not?"

"Because…because…"

"Mum, if the Doctor hadn't done what he did, I wouldn't even _be_ here! If anything, you should be thanking him!" said Donna.

"Well, I guess… I mean, that is to say," started Sylvia. She seemed to have accepted the recent turn of events, thankfully. "Will you be traveling with him, then?"

Donna nodded. "But we'll come and visit, won't we, Doctor?"

"Definitely," said the Doctor. There was a moment of silence before the Doctor stood up. "Well, that's all we really stopped by for; Donna and I need to get going. We're investigating some weird goings-on over at Oxford University."

He asked Wilf and Sylvia if they had heard anything that might be of some help relating to the disappearances, but they had heard nothing. So, after a few more words were exchanged between everyone, the Doctor and Donna got up to go.

o

"That went better than I expected," said Donna. "I didn't think mum would take it that well, honestly."

"Neither did I," said the Doctor.

"Well, where to now?" asked Donna. "Are we going to Oxford?"

"Not yet," said the Doctor. "First I wanted to go through the files for the missing people and see if there are any connections between them. Then I wanted to follow that signal further that I was investigating when you ran into me."

"Near the fashion agency, yeah?"

"Exactly."

Donna and the Doctor went through the folders of every missing person thus far, but no connection between any of them was to be found. They appeared to have been taken at random, which both Donna and the Doctor thought was strange. After they were done examining the folders, the Doctor took the TARDIS to the alleyway where he had been earlier, when Donna had first seen it.

The two exited into the cool night air and Donna took out her sonic lipstick and turned it on.

"What are you doing that for?"

"Just trying to help locate that signal you picked up earlier," said Donna.

"It won't work with that," said the Doctor. "My screwdriver can locate the source because it's had time to digest the signal particles from when they were first detected at Oxford. And it's already familiar with the signal particles it detected here earlier. You're sonic lipstick hasn't even left the TARDIS-"

"And so hasn't had time to digest the signal particles," Donna finished for him. "I get it, Doctor. I'm not a human."

"Never said you were." Then, "Ouch! What was that for?" For Donna had smacked him with the palm of her hand.

"For the insult," said Donna. "I can poke fun at my former human-ness, but you're not me, so you can shut it."

"All right, all right," said the Doctor. He massaged the place where Donna had hit him. "Shall we start?"

Donna nodded and followed the Doctor to the place where she had first bumped into him earlier that day.

"This is where we start, yeah?"

"Yeah," said the Doctor. "The signal I was getting seemed to be coming strongest from that direction, where the fashion agency is."

Without another word, the Doctor turned on his sonic screwdriver and followed the signal particles toward their supposed source. It was true that the strongest signal seemed to come from the area near the fashion agency, but what Donna and the Doctor didn't expect was for the signal to come directly from the agency itself.

oOo

I like reviews; they make me happy. They also make me more motivated to write. :-) :-)


	5. A Visit to Sarah Jane

Thanks for the reviews, cheri1 and nathanrdotca!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 5: A Visit to Sarah Jane**

oOo

_Donna nodded and followed the Doctor to the place where she had first bumped into him earlier that day._

"_This is where we start, yeah?"_

"_Yeah," said the Doctor. "The signal I was getting seemed to be coming strongest from that direction, where the fashion agency is."_

_Without another word, the Doctor turned on his sonic screwdriver and followed the signal particles toward their supposed source. It was true that the strongest signal seemed to come from the area near the fashion agency, but what Donna and the Doctor didn't expect was for the signal to come directly from the agency itself._

o

"What the…?" was the first thing the Doctor said.

"How can it be coming from the agency?" asked Donna. "Is it somehow connected to Oxford?"

The two were standing on the sidewalk, just a few paces away from the fashion agency's entrance.

"I'm not sure," said the Doctor. He gazed up at the building. A couple birds were nesting on a window ledge. "It's highly possible."

"So what do we do?"

"We need to go see a friend of mine," said the Doctor. "Sarah Jane Smith."

"Wasn't she the one with the warp star, on the Crucible?"

The Doctor nodded. "She has that computer, Mr. Smith."

"I remember that," said Donna. "The one that gave us the cosmic tow-rope so we could put the earth back in place."

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "I figured we could use Mr. Smith get a more exact source for the signal, as well as ask him/it about any oddness at the fashion agency."

"Well, then, let's get going, shall we?"

Donna and the Doctor quickly walked back to the TARDIS. There were a few late-night partiers at a pub who started wolf-whistling at Donna, and it wasn't until Donna threatened them with serious bodily harm should they continue that they stopped. The Doctor found this all very hilarious, and made it a point to joke about it until Donna threatened him with the same thing. Once they reached the TARDIS, they quickly entered inside. Donna helped the Doctor flip the few switches and turn the dials required for getting the TARDIS moving (for, since she was now a Time Lady, she had the same knowledge as the Doctor about running the TARDIS), and in no time at all they were materializing in Sarah Jane's driveway.

Donna was the first to exit the TARDIS, the Doctor coming out right behind her.

"I like the house," said Donna, gazing around the property. "How can she afford this, though, if she's only a journalist?"

"Donna…"

"What?" asked Donna. "I'm curious."

"Since she deals in alien happenings as well, she probably gets money from that," said the Doctor. "She's also very clever (and that's saying something, considering myself) and knows a few of the higher-ups in the British government. So I'm guessing she also pulled a few strings."

They walked up the rest of the driveway and up to the front door. The Doctor rang the doorbell and had only a few seconds to wait before he and Donna heard footsteps coming closer and closer. Then, the door opened to reveal a boy of about fourteen, with a mop of brown hair and a clever look about it.

"Hello, Luke!" Greeted the Doctor enthusiastically. "I'm the Doctor; I'm sure you remember me from a few months ago."

"I remember," said Luke. "Mum kept hoping you'd pay her a visit."

"She did?" said the Doctor.

"Yeah," said Luke. "Come on in, I'll tell her you're here."

The Doctor and Donna stepped over the threshold and were led by Luke into the living room. Donna immediately sat down on the sofa while the Doctor took a quick walk around the room, examining the décor.

"This is Donna, by the way," said the Doctor, gesturing at the person in question.

"Yeah, I know," said Luke. "I remember her, too."

"Oh," said the Doctor. Donna smirked at him. The Doctor stuck his tongue out at her in reply.

"That was mature, Doctor."

"I think Mum's upstairs with Mr. Smith," said Luke. "I'll go tell her you're here."

"Yes, thank you, Luke!" said the Doctor.

Luke left the room and could be heard as he called up the stairs for Sarah Jane. Moments later, Sarah Jane was entering the living room. She had a wide smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes.

"Doctor, it's good to see you!" said Sarah Jane, giving the Doctor a big hug. "And Donna! Lovely to see you."

Donna nodded.

"What can I help you two with?" said Sarah Jane.

The Doctor explained the situation and said, "We needed to ask Mr. Smith about any oddness at the fashion agency."

"The agency where I used to temp, by the way," said Donna to Sarah Jane. "Though now, since I'm one of his kind-" she gestured at the Doctor, "-I guess I don't need to anymore."

"No, I guess not," said Sarah Jane with a laugh. "Did he give you a sonic lipstick?"

Donna grinned and pulled out her sonic lipstick. "I haven't had much chance to use it, though I'm sure that'll change, what with me traveling with him."

"Anyway," said the Doctor, drawing out the "a", and clearly trying to move things along.

"Right; Mr. Smith!" said Sarah Jane. "Follow me!"

As Sarah Jane led them up to the attic, Donna stowed away her lipstick. Luke had already gone up to the attack as soon as Sarah Jane greeted the Doctor, so when everyone reached the attic, it was to find Luke already conversing with Mr. Smith. Luke greeted the Doctor and Donna once more, upon seeing them.

"Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" said Mr. Smith.

"Mr. Smith," said Sarah Jane, "These two people are very good friends of mine. Donna and the Doctor."

"Greetings, Donna and the Doctor," said Mr. Smith.

"Hi," said Donna.

"Hello," said the Doctor, ever so cheerfully.

"Sarah Jane said you were two people, yet when I did a scan of you two just now, I found that not to be true."

"What did you find?" asked Donna.

"One an alien, not from this world," said Mr. Smith. "And you, miss Donna Noble, seem not quite human, yet not alien."

"Oh, that's because she used to be human," said the Doctor. "Then this Chameleon Arch thingy in my TARDIS malfunctioned and turned her into a Time Lord."

"As a result of the instantaneous biological meta-crisis from a few months ago," said Luke. "But she was just human with a Time Lord brain then. So you're saying that the Arch completely re-wrote Donna's biology? But how is that even possible? Logically speaking, it should've killed her."

"Oi!"

"He didn't mean it like that, Donna," said the Doctor. He turned to Luke, "You're right, it should have, but it didn't."

"Because she's special?"

"Correctamundo," said the Doctor. "Ugh… I swore to myself I'd _never_ use that word again."

"More to the point?" said Donna.

"Right," said the Doctor, getting the hint. "Mr. Smith, Donna and I came here to ask you something. At the fashion agency where Donna was temping, in London, I think there might be some kind of alien activity going on there." He explained about how he had gone to Oxford and picked up on a signal, which led him to the agency. "So, since this Cadger Ethyls is somehow connected to both Oxford University and the fashion agency, I was wondering…could you do a scan and search for any oddness or alien activity at the two places?"

"Of course, Doctor," said Mr. Smith. "Scanning for alien activity…" It was a couple minutes before Mr. Smith was finished; when he was, he announced the findings. "Doctor, it appears you were correct. There is indeed a connection between Oxford University and the fashion agency in London, and it does have something to do with Cadger Ethyls. Of what, I do not know, however."

"So what would you suggest doing?" asked Donna. She was turning her sonic lipstick over in her hand. She really did love that lipstick.

"If I were you (and I'm not, since I'm a computer), I would go back to this agency. I'd go inside and go throughout the building, and find out where the precise location of this signal is."

"And by precise," said Donna, "you mean an exact office?"

"Correct," said Mr. Smith.

"Well, no time to waste," said Donna. "Let's get going!"

"Excellent idea," said the Doctor. "Sarah Jane, care to join us?"

"I would love to."

"Can I go, Mum?"

"No, Luke, you're staying here," said Sarah Jane. "I need you to look after the house, and I want you to be here in case anything goes wrong."

"Which isn't likely," said the Doctor, "but still, it's better to take precautions."

"Okay," said Luke.

The Doctor, Donna, and Sarah Jane wasted no time at all and headed back down the stairs to the driveway outside. There, they all entered the TARDIS and were off to the fashion agency. There was a slight difference, however, in the TARDIS's approach as opposed to the previous time it had been in this area. Then, it had been parked in the alleyway. Now, however, because the Doctor knew what he was looking for, as well as where, he parked the TARDIS this time direction inside the fashion agency itself, but not on the ground floor's entrance way, for the TARDIS would have been too noticeable. Instead, the Doctor parked the TARDIS right inside the stairwell of the ground floor. They were obscured by a door, which led to the entranceway.

The Doctor exited the TARDIS, followed by Donna, then Sarah Jane, with their sonic devices out and ready. The Doctor turned on his sonic screwdriver. It took a minute for the screwdriver to find the signal again, but once it did, the Doctor, Donna, and Sarah Jane followed the path it led them on: up the stairs, past the first and second floors, and to the third floor landing. Here, the signal led them through the door and onto the third floor itself.

"This is the floor I temped on," said Donna.

"Did you ever noticing anything odd at all?" asked Sarah Jane.

Donna shook her head. "Some guy did come to see my boss, earlier today. They were talking about the disappearances at Oxford, but that's probably nothing," she said.

"Probably," said the Doctor. "Anyway, less talking, more moving."

"Yes, sir!" Donna replied, giving him a mock salute. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

The three followed the signal around the third floor toward its source. It led them to the break room where Donna had heard the conversations earlier that morning and then out into the hallway, past a few cubicles. It stopped in front of an office, on whose door had a name placard reading "Clyde Hasgert".

"He's my boss," said Donna.

"Really," said the Doctor.

"I wonder why the signal led us here?" Sarah Jane said. "What could Donna's boss possibly have to do with whatever's been going on at Oxford?"

"I don't know," said the Doctor.

"Are we going to search his office?"

"No need to, Donna," said the Doctor. "It's the signal's source we were after; besides, we already have the information on the missing persons. What we wanted was to find the source, and we did. I don't want to arouse anyone's suspicions by snooping through this guy's office."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Donna.

"I'll go and talk to Cadger Ethyls tomorrow," said the Doctor. "You can come with me, and ask students about what they know."

"Okay."

"In the mean time,," said Sarah Jane, "why don't you two come spend the night at my house? I have more than enough room. I'd be more than happy to have you two there. And I'm sure Luke would love talking with you, Doctor."

Donna and the Doctor gladly accepted the offer, and so departed the third floor and headed back down the stairs toward the TARDIS.

oOo

Mmm... reviews.... they're so tasty! Feed me reviews, and I get more motivated to write! :-) That means quicker updates! :-)


	6. A Short Relaxation

Thanks for the reviews, Bluemoon, cheri1, HRInuyashaFan16, and nathanrdotca!!!!!

oOo

**Note:** I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this chapter! Unfortunately, now that I'm back at college for the spring semester, I'm going to be updating less often; unlike before, when I posted every three or so days, I am now going to be posting a new chapter anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 weeks. I know it sucks, but please try to bear with me!

Anyway, on with the story!

oOo

**Chapter 6: A Short Relaxation**

oOo

"_So what are we going to do?" asked Donna._

"_I'll go and talk to Cadger Ethyls tomorrow," said the Doctor. "You can come with me, and ask students about what they know."_

"_Okay."_

"_In the mean time,," said Sarah Jane, "why don't you two come spend the night at my house? I have more than enough room. I'd be more than happy to have you two there. And I'm sure Luke would love talking with you, Doctor."_

_Donna and the Doctor gladly accepted the offer, and so departed the third floor and headed back down the stairs toward the TARDIS._

o

Donna, the Doctor, and Sarah Jane stepped inside the TARDIS. Since Sarah Jane was the last one in, she shut the door and then went to join the other two at the console. The Doctor twiddled a few dials and flipped a switch or two and suddenly, the TARDIS itself was dematerializing from the agency and then rematerializing at Sarah Jane's house. Only this time, the Doctor didn't park it on the driveway. He parked it inside the house itself, up in the attic. When the group stepped out, they were greeted by Luke and Mr. Smith.

"Greetings, and welcome back, Sarah Jane," said Mr. Smith.

"Thank you, Mr. Smith!" Sarah Jane replied. "Donna and the Doctor will be staying the night, so mind you be extra vigilant when scanning for hostile entities. It just wouldn't do for our guests to be ambushed, or anything like that."

"Of course, Sarah Jane," said Mr. Smith. "I will keep a careful eye out."

"Thank you," said Sarah Jane. She turned to Luke, who had been conversing with the Doctor and Donna about time-travel. "Well, since you're staying over, what would you two-"

"Us three," interrupted the Doctor. "Luke is here, too, and it just wouldn't do to exclude him." Then, "OUCH!" as Donna hit him. "What was that for?" complained the Doctor, rubbing his shoulder.

"That was for being rude," said Donna.

"I was only pointing out Sarah Jane's inaccuracy!" The Doctor protested. Donna hit him again. "OUCH! Geez, you women- All right, _all right!! Enough with the hitting!!_" As Donna hit him a third time.

"Now, will you behave?" said Donna, while Luke and Sarah Jane laughed.

"Just to avoid another smack," said the Doctor, rubbing the back of his head. "It's a good thing you're stronger than you look, Donna; this way, enemies will underestimate you, and so much the worse for them."

"Exactly," said Donna.

"As I was saying," said Sarah Jane, controlling her laughter, "what would you _three_ like for dinner?"

"Edible ball bearings!"

"Doctor!"

"Sorry, Donna, but I've said before, edible ball bearings are a brilliant invention! No other planet in the entire _universe_-"

"If you don't shut your gob up, _I'll_ be the next one to hit you," said Sarah Jane. When the Doctor quieted, she continued. "Good. Now, what would you three like to eat for dinner?"

"We can just have the TARDIS make something for us…there's a machine in there where all you have to do is press some buttons and you get a meal," said Donna.

"How'd you know about that?" said the Doctor. "I haven't used that thing since 1963 when those two school teachers snooped their way on board."

"I've explored the TARDIS," said Donna simply.

"Oh."

"I don't want the TARDIS to make us a meal, at least not right now," said Sarah Jane. "I want to make you something myself, and you can help, too. It'll be fun. Now, tell me what you want to eat, and we can all make it together."

"Mum makes a wicked lasagna," said Luke.

"I wouldn't mind lasagna," said Donna.

"Neither would I," the Doctor said. He licked his lips, as if he could already tasted the noodles, meat, and sauce entering his mouth.

"All right, then, lasagna it is!" said Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane led Donna and the Doctor downstairs, where the latter two helped prepare dinner. When they were finished, Sarah Jane called Luke to come downstairs, who obliged by running down the stairs as fast as he could and, with a dash into the kitchen, sat down at the table.

"Wow, he's quick," said Donna, of Luke.

"I'm not quick, I'm hungry," Luke replied.

"Well, you won't have long to wait," said Sarah Jane. "This lasagna is nearly ready."

And indeed it was. Not two minutes later Sarah Jane was pulling the lasagna from the oven while Donna and the Doctor helped set the table. Once they were finished, everyone sat down at the table while the lasagna was served, first to the guests, and then to the house's residents. Dinner was a joyous affair, with Sarah Jane and Donna conversing about topics relating to fashion, and the Doctor and Luke discussing quantum physics and other subjects relating to science, and discussing Einstein's theory of relativity. Once everyone was finished eating, the Doctor immediately offered to clean up.

"Doctor, you really don't have to-"

"I know, Sarah Jane, but Donna and I would be more than happy to," said the Doctor.

"We would?"

The Doctor lowered his voice. "Donna, we're guests in this house. We don't want to be rude, so we might as well do our part to help out." Raising his voice to its normal level, the Doctor said, "I, that is to say, we, insist."

"Well, all right," said Sarah Jane gratefully. "Thank you, Doctor, it really means a lot."

"No problemo," said the Doctor. He began clearing dishes from the table and Donna soon followed suit.

"Since you two are clearing up, I'll be upstairs in the attic, with Mr. Smith, if you need me," said Sarah Jane, pushing back her chair and standing up.

"So will I," said Luke.

"No, you're going to do your homework."

"But its so easy," said Luke. "I can do it tonight before bed."

"Or you can go up to the attic and do your homework there, with Mr. Smith to help out," said the Doctor.

Luke looked at Sarah Jane expectantly.

"Oh, all right," said Sarah Jane. She turned to Donna and the Doctor. "See you two in a bit, then. And thank you again for helping out; it means a lot."

"It's our pleasure," said Donna. The fact that she lightly treaded on the Doctor's toes proved otherwise, but Sarah Jane took no notice. Instead, she and Luke exited the kitchen and could soon after be heard making their way upstairs to the attic. Donna and the Doctor were left alone, in the kitchen.

It did not take a long time to clear the dishes off the table, wash them, then place them away in the cupboards. After they were done with that, Donna and the Doctor put the food in plastic containers and placed it in the fridge, so that anyone who wanted could have left-overs in the near future. Then, once the kitchen table and counters had been wiped down, Donna and the Doctor headed upstairs to the attic, where Sarah Jane and Luke still were.

"Hello, Doctor, Donna," Luke said.

"Hello, Luke!" said the Doctor, as cheerfully as he had said it earlier that day. "How's the homework coming along?"

"It was really easy," Luke replied. "I finished it almost right after I got up here."

"Pretty quick, too, I see," said the Doctor.

"Yes, he is," said Sarah Jane.

"That's how geniuses work."

"Yes, Doctor, I know. I did spend a significant amount of time with you a few decades ago, you know."

The Doctor grinned. "Oh yeah," he said, in a reminiscent manner.

"She was referring to you being a genius," said Donna, of Sarah Jane.

The Doctor adopted a voice dripping with sarcasm and said, drawing out each word, "Gee, you think so, Einstein?" Which earned him another smack. "_Ouch!_ Enough with the hitting!!"

"Are you going to behave yourself now?" ask Donna.

"Seems I don't have a choice," said the Doctor.

"Good boy," replied Donna, causing the Doctor to roll his eyes.

Donna, the Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Luke all stayed in the attic for a while longer, conversing with each other and Mr. Smith. The main topic was the goings-on of the universe outside of the Milky Way, with Luke peppering the Doctor with many upon many questions about his adventures in and through time and space. It was clear that the Doctor quite liked Luke, for he had never met a human who was quite as intelligent before now (Donna did not count, since she was now a Time Lady). The four had a nice time; but bedtime soon approached, so Luke and Sarah Jane bade a cheery good night to Donna and the Doctor before going back downstairs to their respective bedrooms.

"Good night, Sarah Jane! 'Night, Luke!"

"Sleep tight, don't let a Slitheen bite you in the night," said the Doctor.

When Sarah Jane and Luke had disappeared, Donna and the Doctor turned toward the TARDIS, opened its door, and walked inside.

"I thought we'd be sleeping in Sarah Jane's house," said Donna.

"We will… after a fashion," said the Doctor.

The two walked past the console, and Donna voiced a concern she had been wondering about since earlier that day.

"Doctor, now that I'm, well, a female Time Lord, and now that I'll be traveling with you from now on, where am I going to sleep?"

"I've already had a room prepared for you," said the Doctor. "It's right next to mine, and I will show it to you right now." He grinned at Donna.

"Really?" Donna asked, also smiling.

"Really," said the Doctor. "I think you'll like it; it's got anything a woman might like."

"How do you know what a woman might like?"

"Donna, I've traveled with enough women to know a bit about what they like," said the Doctor.

"Fair point," said Donna. Then, changing the subject slightly, she said, "So, what's this room of mine like?"

"I'm not saying; it'll have to be a surprise," said the Doctor, eyes twinkling. "But I will say that the closet room of women's clothes you were in earlier is now attached to your room by a door, so now you'll have all the clothes you could ever want."

"Because you know how much I like fashion!" said Donna, flipping her hair to one side. "Thank you so much, Doctor! I'd hug you, but I don't want to get a paper cut."

"Oi!!"

Donna laughed. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"I'll bet," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

The Doctor lead Donna to her room. The door, made of a wood similar in appearance to maple, had a brass knob and a golden placard reading, in black cursive letters: "Donna's Room."

"Aww, that's so sweet," said Donna. She turned to the Doctor. "Thank you!"

The Doctor grinned appreciatively. "My pleasure," he said. "I have one like that on my door, too."

Donna looked, and indeed, there was a similar plaque, only this one read: The Doctor.

"That is so adorable!"

"Well…"

"Can we go inside?" asked Donna.

"In my room?"

"No, you prawn," said Donna. "I meant, can we go into my room now? I want to see what it looks like. Then you can skedaddle so I can sleep."

"Of course," said the Doctor. He stepped forward, turned the knob, and slowly opened the door.

Since it was Donna's room, he let Donna enter in ahead of him. Donna gasped.

"Doctor! I _love_ it!!" She turned and gave him a big hug. "_Thank you!_"

The Doctor smiled. "I'm glad you like it!"

Indeed, Donna did love it, and it was easy to see why. The room itself was decked out in the classic-modern look, with walls painted a creamy yellow and a soft, ivory carpet. There was a door almost right across from where Donna was standing, which she guessed led to the "closet". Next to the door was a wood stool with a pretty glass vase and a daisy inside. The queen-sized bed was situated against one side of the room, and had a gray and blue patterned bedspread, and under that, cream colored sheets. The pillowcases were of a light blue color, and complimented the rest of the bed comfortably. On each side of the bed were nightstands made of metal with glass table-tops. Diagonal from the bed, in one corner of the room, was a small black leather sofa, on which was a pair of women's blue-colored pyjamas, folded up nicely.

"Doctor, this is…this is wonderful!!"

The Doctor just grinned, enjoying Donna's reaction.

"You're going to have to get used to it, because this is where you'll be sleeping from now on," said the Doctor.

Donna gave him a gee-you-think-so-captain-obvious look and then went over to the pyjamas that were folded on the chair. Picking them up, she inspected them for a moment, then turned to the Doctor, an amused look on her face, and said, "Blue?"

"What's wrong with blue?" said the Doctor.

"Nothing is wrong with blue," said Donna. "It's just that, blue is usually a more masculine color, so I'm curious why I get the blue and you get the purple."

"I told you before, purple's a nice-" The Doctor cottoned on to what Donna was saying. "Oh no, you don't" he said, eyeing her somewhat warily. "I'm not letting you suggest something like that, because if anyone is that way, it's Jack, not me. Although, purple might look good on him…" Then he saw Donna's mischievous grin and laughed.

"I had you there for a moment, didn't I, space man?"

"Yes, you did, former-Earth girl."

Donna raised an eyebrow.

"Current Earth girl and honorary Gallifreyan?" the Doctor suggested.

Donna said nothing, only staring at him.

"Earth/Gallifreyan hybrid girl?"

Donna burst out laughing.

Pleased with himself, the Doctor bid Donna goodnight.

"Good night, Doctor," Donna replied, still laughing. She watched as the Doctor exited the room and closed the door. Then, she got dressed into her new, light blue pyjamas, crawled under the covers of the bed (which turned out to be pleasantly comfortable), and went to sleep.

o

The next day arrive and the sun rose, casting the morning sky in a warm, golden glow. A beam of morning sun came in gracefully through the window of the attic at 13 Bannerman Road, first resting at the base of the TARDIS then, as the minutes passed by and as the sun rose, move up the TARDIS doors so that it was just about at eye level. It was at this particular point when the Doctor, after a night's rest, opened the door and stepped into the attic. He shaded his eyes from the sun, which had been shining directly into them, and blinked a few times to give his eyes time to adjust to the change in light (for, in the TARDIS, it had been rather dark, and he had just stepped into a room full of light).

"Good morning, Doctor."

The Doctor jumped about half an inch into the air and turned his head quickly, searching for the voice. Then he noticed that Mr. Smith was "up" (or as "up" as a super computer can be) and realized that he had been the source.

"Morning," said the Doctor. "Would you mind not startling me like that in the future?"

"Of course, Doctor," Mr. Smith replied.

"No problem," said the Doctor. He took his right hand and ran his fingers through his hair, so that it stood on end. "Better see if Donna is up," he muttered to himself.

The Doctor turned around and went back inside the TARDIS. He had to adjust his eyes again to the change in light and when he had, the Doctor continued on his way to Donna's room.

_Knock knock knock._

Three smart raps on the door, but silence was all that greeted him. So, the Doctor knocked again, and this time called out Donna's name as well.

"Donna?" the Doctor called through the door. "Donna, you up?"

"I am now, space man," came Donna's muffled voice in reply.

"Is it all right if I come in?"

"It's your TARDIS," said Donna.

"It's called politeness, something you humans seem to lack on occasion."

"Ex-human, remember?" said Donna. "And that's a bit rich coming from you."

"Yeah…" said the Doctor. "Anyway, since you're living here now, it's partly your TARDIS, too."

"That's nice," said Donna. "So are you going to come in and get me up, or are you going to wait outside all day shouting through the wood?"

"I'm- oh forget it," the Doctor muttered. He turned the handle and opened the door and saw Donna already up. She was sitting on her bed, reading a book, and was wearing a pair of jeans, trainers, and a purple top with a beige jacket over it.

"Donna! I thought you were asleep!"

"You _thought_. But I've been up for a couple hours, reading through this book on the TARDIS's inner-workings. I'm almost done." Donna held up the book, a rather thick volume with a dusty outer-jacket.

"Really?" said the Doctor. He asked curiously, "Where did you get it? I didn't know this old girl had a book about her inner-workings."

"Careful with the innuendo, Doctor."

"I wasn't-" then he saw the smirk on Donna's face. "Oh HA HA HA, _very_ funny."

"I went to the TARDIS library, and she provided this book for me," said Donna. "Even with my Time Lord brain, I still don't know everything about running a TARDIS, so I thought I should learn."

"Really? Good, good," said the Doctor. "Anyway, more on that later… I'm going to be downstairs helping Sarah Jane; I just wanted to come in here and make sure you got up."

"I'm not a flipping kid," said Donna. "Wait up, though. I'd like to go with you."

The Doctor nodded and waited while Donna put down the book and got up. Donna went past the Doctor, and the two walked down the hall, past the console, and into Sarah Jane's attic, where the room was still bathed in warm, morning light. They went downstairs and into the kitchen, where Luke was to be found, sitting at the table in his school uniform while Sarah Jane made breakfast.

"Hello, you two!" Sarah Jane greeted.

"Good morning!" said the Doctor, as cheerfully as ever. "Luke getting ready to go to school?"

"Yes, I am," said Luke. He then said, rather hopefully, "Do you want to come with me? I mean, you don't have to go to classes with me or anything, but do you want to walk with me there?"

"I think that's a lovely idea," said Sarah Jane. "You should go, Doctor."

"You know, I think I will," said the Doctor. "Donna?"

"I'll go. It's been a while since I've had to walk to school."

"Great!" said Luke. "Only, Rani and Clyde are going to be walking with me, too. Is that all right?"

"Fine by me," said the Doctor.

"Cool," said Luke. "They should be here any minute, actually. They were going to have breakfast here."

"I was going to say, school doesn't start for another hour," said the Doctor. "I look forward to meeting these friends of yours, Luke!"

A few minutes later there was a pounding on the door. The Doctor offered to go get it, since Sarah Jane was busy preparing breakfast. On his way to the door, the pounding became more insistent, so the Doctor hurried to open the door, muttering something about impatient humans and how Time Lords, despite their devout pacifism, at least had the patience to wait. When the Doctor turned the handle, thus opening the door, it was to reveal a teenage girl with an olive-complexion, who he assumed was Rani, and a black teenage boy, who the Doctor assumed was Clyde.

The first thing that came out of the Doctor's mouth when he opened the door and saw them was, "What is it with you humans pounding on doors?"

"That was him," said Rani. She pointed to her left, where Clyde stood with his arms crossed.

"Can we come in?" said Clyde. He stepped forward, preparing to cross the threshold into the house. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor replied. "And it might behoove you to be a little more polite, or I'll cut out your tongue and hand it to a Slitheen." He added in an undertone, as if to himself, "What is it with parent not teaching their kids manners these days?"

"Yeah, whatever," said Clyde. He brushed past the Doctor and headed toward the kitchen.

"Don't mind him," said Rani. She came into the house and closed the door behind her. As she and the Doctor headed toward the kitchen, she asked, "So you're really the Doctor? The one Sarah Jane is always mentioning?"

"She mentions me that much?" Then, "Yep, that's me. Good ol' Doctor."

"Don't you have a real name?" asked Rani. "I mean, "the Doctor" hardly sounds like a real name to me; more like an alias."

"Why do you want to know?" asked the Doctor.

"I'm planning to be a journalist, just like Sarah Jane," answered Rani. "She's been giving me some tips."

"And is one of those tips grilling people with questions?"

"Something like that, yeah," said Rani. "Anyway, back to the question-"

"Yes, I do have a real name, but it's hidden. The only time I can reveal it is when I marry. That's the way it is with Time Lords. I chose the name "the Doctor" for the simple reason of wanting to be someone who makes things better," the Doctor replied. "Now, are we done with the questions? Because I'm starving, and those pancakes are making my mouth water."

"Just about," said Rani, as the two entered the kitchen. They were greeted by all in the room. "I have one more thing to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Since you won't tell me what your real name is," said Rani, "is there a name you ever go by when you don't want people to know who you are?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but it was Sarah Jane who answered.

"He goes by John Smith," said Sarah Jane. Then, to the Doctor she added, "Clyde didn't believe it was really you at first, but we've convinced him."

"Good," said the Doctor cheerfully, sitting down at the table, along with Sarah Jane. The pancakes had already been set down in the middle of the table, and so everyone helped themselves to however many pancakes they wanted, then poured syrup over them. "Then there won't be any need to cut out your tongue."

Sarah Jane looked at the Doctor questioningly, but the latter said nothing except that Clyde already knew what that meant.

The pancakes were eaten, and while doing so, Clyde, Luke, and Rani peppered Donna and the Doctor with questions, mainly about what it was like to travel in the TARDIS. The had already discussed it with Sarah Jane, who had told them a great deal, but that didn't stop them from wanting to hear it again. The story of Donna becoming a Time Lady was also talked about, which left Clyde, Luke, and Rani in awe. Donna was then peppered with questions about whether she would now live in the TARDIS permanently, which Donna replied that she would.

"Can we see the TARDIS?" asked Clyde enthusiastically.

"Sure, I don't see why not," said the Doctor, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "But will you have enough time before school starts?"

"I think so," interjected Luke. "The school is only a couple blocks away, and we've got thirty minutes until classes start. So that gives us enough time for a little bit of a look."

"Which gives you about twenty minutes, if we head up there right now," said the Doctor.

"Sarah Jane and I can clean up while you four go up there," said Donna.

Sarah Jane agreed, and so the Doctor, Luke, Rani, and Clyde clambered up the stairs and to the attic while Sarah Jane and Donna cleaned up and put the left-over food away.

Clyde was the first to enter the attic and Luke, Rani, and the Doctor entered in behind him. Luke, having already seen the TARDIS, wasn't as in awe of it as were his two friends; however, that didn't stop him from smiling at them. The Doctor was grinning, too; he loved the enthusiasm some people showed when the saw his ship for the first time. The Doctor then allowed all three teens to go inside the TARDIS, which they wondered around, mesmerized, for nearly twenty minutes before realizing that they had to leave for school. Disappointed, and very much wanting to go inside the TARDIS again sometime in the future (which the Doctor told them he'd think about), they all headed downstairs to grab their school things.

"Did you three like the TARDIS?" Donna asked. She glanced at the Doctor.

"They loved it," said the Doctor, answering for Rani, Luke, and Clyde. The three teenagers were busy putting their school things together and putting on jackets.

"It was really great," said Clyde. "He said we could travel on it with him sometime."

"Did he now?" Donna tilted her head and gazed up at the Doctor. She received a rather sheepish look in reply.

"I said I'd _think_ about it," said the Doctor.

"But that always means "yes"," said Clyde.

"And just how do you know that?" asked the Doctor.

"All kids know that," said Clyde, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We're pretty good at detecting subtle yes and no answers."

"_Pretty_ good, he says," said the Doctor.

"Though that doesn't make them an expert," said Donna.

"Yeah, whatever," said Clyde. "Anyway, us kids have got to get going. You adults have fun here."

"But they're coming with us," said Luke.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh," said Donna. "Unless you don't want us to?"

"I never said that," said Clyde.

"ANYway," said the Doctor, clapping his hands. "Shall we get going? I assume you don't want to be late."

"Me, I don't care," said Clyde. "These two have a thing with punctuality."

"A good thing to have," said the Doctor. "Now get moving, or I'll set a Grask on you."

Luke, Rani, and Clyde exited the house, and then Donna and the Doctor after saying a quick good-bye to Sarah Jane. As they walked along, underneath the clear blue sky, birds flitted from tree to tree, singing their sweet morning songs. An occasion leaf fell to the ground and, occasionally, the Doctor would catch one, only to release it by holding it in the palm of his hand, then blowing gently on it until it flew out of his palm.

Donna turned to the Doctor after he had told the three teens to stay out of the middle of the road and said, "You're acting like their parent."

"What's wrong with that?" asked the Doctor. "I don't want to see them get hurt."

"I know," said Donna. "It's just that…I haven't seen you act like this since Jenny."

"Yeah," said the Doctor. "But even though Jenny is dead, I can at least try to honor her memory by looking after these three, making sure they, at least, stay safe."

Donna smiled. "I think that's sweet," she said.

"What's sweet?" asked Rani. She had fallen behind Luke and Clyde, and was now walking beside Donna and the Doctor.

"That this space man is concerned about your safety," said Donna. The group was drawing closer to the school and could, in fact, now see some of the campus buildings. Kids of all ages were gathered on the school grounds and could be heard laughing and talking with one another, as well as playing games and other things kids do before school starts.

"I thought you were talking about your dating lives," said Rani.

The Doctor was caught off guard. "Our what?" he said.

"I thought you were discussing your love lives," Rani repeated. "Aren't you two dating each other?"

Donna and the Doctor glanced at each other, possibly in amusement, and said that they were not, in fact, dating. Donna even added, "We're just friends; nothing more. Besides, dating him would just be…weird."

"Oi! I'm not weird!"

"I wasn't talking about _you_," said Donna. "I was saying that the activity of _dating_ you would be weird. And unsettling."

"And us dating will not happen," said the Doctor, to Donna and Rani. "Never."

"Never _ever_," said Donna.

"Don't say never," said Rani. "I've had plenty of friends who've said what you just did, about being just friends. But they spent so much time hanging out together that they really did end up dating. Same thing happened with my cousin and her boyfriend. They're getting married next month."

The group approached the sidewalk in front of the school, and Luke and Clyde waited for Rani to join them.

"That won't ever happen with me and the Doctor, though," said Donna.

"Too right, it won't," said the Doctor.

"Never say never," Rani replied.

"Never," said the Doctor. "There, just said it."

"Ditto that," Donna said.

The bell for the start of school rang, so Rani, Clyde, and Luke bade farewell to Donna and the Doctor. They then ran off to their first class, leaving the Doctor and Donna alone on the sidewalk.

"Shall we get going?" asked the Doctor. Donna nodded, and the two turned and headed the way they had come, back toward Sarah Jane's house.

oOo

Please feed me reviews!! I get so much more motivated to write when people review. A motivated writer is happy. A happy writer writes better stories. And better stories make happy readers!


	7. Return to Oxford

Thanks for the review, dreamcatcher386 and super-calisto!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 7: Return to Oxford**

oOo

"_That won't ever happen with me and the Doctor, though," said Donna._

"_Too right, it won't," said the Doctor._

"_Never say never," Rani replied. _

"_Never," said the Doctor. "There, just said it."_

"_Ditto that," Donna said._

_The bell for the start of school rang, so Rani, Clyde, and Luke bade farewell to Donna and the Doctor. They then ran off to their first class, leaving the Doctor and Donna alone on the sidewalk._

"_Shall we get going?" asked the Doctor. Donna nodded, and the two turned and headed the way they had come, back toward Sarah Jane's house._

oOo

Donna and the Doctor walked in near total silence on the way back to Sarah Jane's house, not saying much to each other, only a word here or there about Oxford. The reason, of course, was because each was busy thinking about what Rani had said, about how her cousin had met a guy, and how the two had been just friends and nothing more…at first. Then came the revelation that the two had fallen in love and were to be married soon… well, something like that couldn't happen between Donna and the Doctor. It just couldn't.

_It can't,_ thought Donna. _The Doctor is just a friend. A friend. That's all he is, that's all he ever will be. Besides, dating some bloke who's also a good friend would be too bloody awkward. Not to mention he's almost 1000 years older than me…_

But then the phrase Rani had uttered filtered back into Donna's mind: _Never say never_.

_She's just a kid,_ Donna thought. _She probably doesn't even know what she's talking about._

Yet, something at the back of Donna's mind suggested otherwise; but she ignored it, and just chalked it up to slight annoyance. Little did Donna know, however, that the same thoughts as were going through her mind were also going through the Doctor's mind.

Donna and the Doctor reached Sarah Jane's house soon after, and were let in after knocking at the door for a few moments. Once they had crossed over the threshold, the Doctor announced to Sarah Jane that he and Donna would be leaving her for the time being, that they would be returning to Oxford University to conduct a further investigation.

"If you want some extra help, I'd be more than happy to come with you," said Sarah Jane.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I need you here, just in case anything happens. Plus, Luke needs someone at home."

Sarah Jane nodded in understanding. "Well, just be careful, then, Doctor. You too, Donna."

"Thank you, we will," they both replied.

Sarah Jane bade them farewell, and Donna and the Doctor made their way up the stairs to the attic. There, the TARDIS greeted them, in all its blue police box glory. The Doctor opened the door and the two entered. After closing the door, the Doctor walked up to the console. At first, Donna thought he was going to take the TARDIS straight to Oxford, but instead saw the Doctor pull out a device which she knew to hold files on the missing persons.

"I figured we should look over these, to familiarize ourselves with the information on the missing people," said the Doctor; he had noticed Donna's slightly confused expression.

Donna nodded and walked over, where she stood next to the Doctor. There, the two examined the files, each taking in the information into their minds and memorizing it. After they were finished, the Doctor placed the information device back inside a little compartment under the console.

"Shall we get going?" he asked, with a grin.

"You really like all this mystery solving stuff don't you?" Donna asked, amused.

The Doctor's grin widened, and he winked as he said, "There's nothing I like better! Well, there are some things I like better… well, there are a lot of things I like; solving mysteries and things like that just happens to be something I like more. Well, I mean, I like solving mysteries just as equally as I do a lot of things-"

"All right, all right, I get the picture," said Donna, laughing at the Doctor. "Now let's get this thing moving."

"You're will is my command," said the Doctor, twiddling a few dials. "Well, that is to say-"

"Oh, just get going, space man!"

o

The TARDIS materialized on the grounds of Oxford university, with all of its usual fanfare (if fanfare it can be called). It found itself right behind a large building, which looked like it held classrooms. The building was, most unfortunately, on the opposite end of the campus from where the main administration building was, and so Donna and the Doctor were forced to walk the whole way there.

Unlike the last time the Doctor had been here, when the campus had been empty due to classes being in session, the campus of Oxford University was now teeming with student life; there were students lounging around on the grass, either relaxing, talking with friends, or doing homework. There were students walking back to their dormitories after having eaten an early lunch, walking to an early afternoon class, or otherwise generally lazing about. A downside to all this, however, was that the Doctor now had to endure the lustful gazes from the female population (and occasionally from a few males).

"They certainly think you're pretty," said Donna. The two passed by a group of female students, who all turned their heads to watch the Doctor as he passed by. A few of them giggled behind their hands when they noticed the Doctor looking at them. "Are you going to say anything to them?"

"No, I most certainly am not!" the Doctor exclaimed, almost in horror. "And have a bunch of hormonal females chasing after me? No, thank you."

"They're still staring at you."

"Hopefully that's all they'll do," said the Doctor. He glanced back at the group of females who still had their eyes on him. More giggles. The Doctor sighed and slipped his arm around Donna's shoulders as the two walked along the path and drew her closer to him. "Donna, put your arm around my waist," he said in a low voice.

"Getting a tad intimate, aren't we?"

"It's only to stop them staring and giggling," said the Doctor.

Donna felt a slight twinge of disappointment upon hearing this, but put her arm around the Doctor's waist anyway. "Did it work?"

"Yep," the Doctor replied. "Now lets keep on like this… just in case any other females here decide to giggle at me."

"For how long?"

"Just until we get to a less populated area," the Doctor said. This moment came soon, and so the Doctor and Donna separated themselves from each other.

"So how are we going to get this thing done?" asked Donna.

"Hm?" the Doctor hadn't been paying attention.

"How are we going to do this investigation?" asked Donna

"Oh, well," the Doctor scratched his ear. "I figured I'd talk to Cadger Ethyls, or at least try to. As for you…" he glanced around. "You should probably go talk to a few of the students, and see what they have to say about what's been going on."

Donna nodded. "Can I go-"

"No, you may not go to that group of females."

"Why not? What if they know something?"

"I just… I just don't want them knowing anything about me."

"Oh ho, someone's mister high-and-mighty."

"Donna…" the Doctor stood there, obviously speechless, attempting to find something to say. "Just… I haven't got time for this. Just go around and ask the students if they know anything."

"All right, then, Doctor," said Donna. "You be careful! I can't have you regenerating on me."

"I'm not… All I'm doing is talking to the chancellor of Oxford," said the Doctor. "How dangerous can he possibly be?"

"Famous last words," said Donna, with a laugh.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "If anything, you're the one who should be careful. Who knows which female student might mug you for me."

Donna raised an eyebrow. "You know, ever since I became a Time Lady, you've been a bit odd."

"Yeah, well…" said the Doctor, if rather awkwardly. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Listen, we'd better start now, otherwise it'll be dark and we'll _still_ be here."

"Yeah, ok," said Donna. "Take care, space man!"

Donna waved, and turned away. The Doctor watched as she walked across a grassy area toward a group of students, who appeared to be both eating and working on some kind of class project. As Donna approached them, the Doctor took his gaze from her and turned to walk the rest of the way to the administration building. He ignored a few female students who began smiling and whispering to each other as he passed.

He reached the administration building without further incident and made his way up the worn stone steps, just as he had the day before. The Doctor held the door open for a female student, who smiled and thanked him, before stepping over the threshold himself.

"Mr. Smith!" Marianne greeted the Doctor with some surprise. "What brings you back again so soon?"

The Doctor stopped in his tracks. He had been hoping to go on up to Cadger's office unseen, but unfortunately Marianne had spotted him from behind some paperwork. Since he had been seen, however, he decided to make the most of it. So, instead of waving a hand and hurrying on up the stairs, he approached the counter behind which Marianne stood, and leaned against it, his elbows resting on top and chin resting in the palm of his right hand. With his other hand he picked up a pen and, for no apparent reason began twirling it through his fingers. His left foot he tapped on the floor, trying, overall, to give an appearance of ease and relaxation.

"Oh, I just thought I'd come by again to see if the Chancellor was around," said the Doctor. "I found a few things in the architecture of one of the dormitories that I think he needs to see."

While saying this, the Doctor had been staring at the pen he was twirling; when he was finished, he looked up at Marianne.

Marianne leaned closer to the Doctor, twirling a strand of blond hair. "What kind of _things_?"

"Just…_things_," said the Doctor evasively, gazing into her eyes. He suddenly leaned away from Marianne and placed the pen back on the counter. "You wouldn't happen to know if he's here, would you? Because I'm an idiot building inspector, and who knows if what I found really is as serious as it appeared to be."

Marianne, somewhat despondently, replied, "Yes, he's in his office. Would you like me to tell him you're on your way?"

"No, thanks, I can manage," said the Doctor. He winked and flashed another wide grin, then bade Marianne farewell.

The Doctor made his way up the stairs and greeted a couple of secretaries upon reaching the landing. He then walked purposefully to Cadger Ethyls's office and placed his ear to the door to see if he could hear anything from inside; all that reached his ear was the sound of a man talking on the phone. The Doctor stepped back and gave the door a smart _knock knock_.

He heard the sound of the phone being hung up, and then a voice saying, "Come in."

The Doctor opened the door and walked into the office. Cadger Ethyls sat at his desk, his feet on top, and the rest of his person relaxing in an expensive-looking office chair. Cadger was a very good-looking man. He had elegant dark hair, which fell stylishly over his face, and beautiful blue eyes that sparkled marvelously. Overall, Cadger gave off a rather sophisticated and suave air; upon seeing him, the Doctor vowed never to tell Jack. Jack, he knew, would only pounce on Cadger and drag him back to Torchwood to be shagged senseless.

"Can I help you?" said Cadger in a naturally seductive voice.

_Yep. Definitely NOT telling Jack_, thought the Doctor. He said aloud, "Yes, I have a few questions; I was hoping you could answer them."

"Depends on the questions," said Cadger. "I run a university; my area of expertise lies mainly within the academic realm, Mr.-?"

"Smith," said the Doctor. "John Smith."

"Very well, Mr. Smith-"

"Call me John," said the Doctor, with an air of cheerfulness. "'Mr. Smith' sounds so boring and generic… not to mention stuffy."

"I'll try to remember that, John," said Cadger. He gestured toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

The Doctor obliged and sat down. Once seated, he held out the psychic paper. "I'm a private investigator."

"I don't remember hiring a private investigator," said Cadger, with an amused look on his face.

"That's because you didn't," said the Doctor, getting down to business. "I was hired by…the parents of one of your students. Strictly confidential; I'm sure you understand." Cadger nodded to show that he did, and the Doctor continued. "I'm here to investigate what seems to be some odd goings-on here at your university. Strange things."

"I assure you that odd things are always happening here, John," said Cadger. "Students pulling pranks on each other, throwing frat parties, cheating on homework; things like that."

"Well, Mr. Ethyls," said the Doctor, "that's not exactly the kind of strange happenings I had in mind."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, you know, students disappearing. Professors disappearing…" the Doctor trailed off. "I was just wondering if you might know anything about it, any information that you think might come in handy in solving this case."

Cadger looked down at his feet, which he had just taken off the desk. When he looked back up at the Doctor, it was to reveal a somewhat calm exterior, though with a hint of despair.

"John…" Cadger drew a deep breath. "John, I wish I could say something, I truly do. It's tragic that students have disappeared, that professors have gone missing; everyone gone without a trace. Fear is everywhere on this campus, John, even I feel it, holed up here in my office; I can only imagine how friends and relatives of those missing must feel." He sighed, and continued. "But, unfortunately, I know as little about what's been happening as everyone else here at Oxford University."

"Nothing? Not even a hint?" said the Doctor. His voice grew quieter, more urgent, with each word he spoke. "Mr. Ethyls, this is extremely important. If you know anything, anything at all, even if it seems the most insignificant thing in the world, you _have_ to tell me so I can help put a stop to it. Anything to help catch whoever, or whatever, is doing this, so the students and professors can be found, and so whoever did this can be punished."

There was what appeared to be a gleam in Cadger's eye, but the Doctor dismissed it as a trick of the light.

Cadger breathed deeply. "John," he said, looking up at the Doctor. "I really wish there was something I could tell you, but the truth is, I cannot. For, as I said before, I am as ignorant about all this as anyone else."

The Doctor gazed at Cadger for another moment, then nodded. "I understand," he said. "Thank you for allowing me your time, Mr. Ethyls."

"It was my pleasure," said Cadger.

With that, the Doctor got up from the chair, just as Cadger picked up the phone, and left the office.

o

"So what was it again?" Donna asked. She was with a group of students who had been playing an impromptu game of soccer. When they had seen her approaching, they had offered to let Donna play, but she refused, saying instead that she was looking for some information. Curious, the student put a temporary halt to their game and asked what Donna meant. She had replied that she was doing some investigating on the disappearance at the university, and would very much like to know if they knew anything that might be of help. Luckily, they had.

"Well, this is just from what we've witnessed," said a brown-haired girl of about eighteen. "After so many disappearances, you begin to connect these things together."

"We know it sound mad, but its true," said a guy with blond hair. "Every time someone, student or professor, disappears, there's a huge shadow from overhead."

"Did you ever see what caused it?" Donna asked.

The guy shook his head. "No, which is odd. We also hear a scream, presumably from whoever is being taken… every time, it echoes all throughout the campus. But there's one thing… the scream is louder than a normal scream should be; much louder."

"We think whoever is kidnapping people is doing something to amplify the sound," said the brown-haired girl. "And whenever it happens, it doesn't matter if the scream is in the night or day, people just start panicking…thinking they could be next." She looked at Donna with wide, fearful eyes. "We're all scared, more than we've ever been in our entire lives. I mean, yeah, everyone gets scared, but there's something different about what's happening… something that tweaks the fear to such a high degree…" She shuddered.

Donna put her hand on the girl's shoulder consolingly. "It's all right," she said soothingly. "My friend and I will get this whole thing sorted out, I _promise_."

"Is he the one who had his arm around your shoulders earlier?" said a red-haired girl. When Donna nodded she asked, "Where is he?"

"He said he was going to talk to your chancellor," said Donna. "Cadger Ethyls, I think his name was."

Nearly all the females of the group sighed, almost lovingly. "He's so gorgeous," said the red-haired girl.

"What do you mean?" said Donna curiously.

The girl looked off into space, a smile on her face. "That black hair… _dreamy_ blue eyes." She sighed lovingly once again. "What I wouldn't give to have a nice shag with him…"

"You already have, Maxine," said the brown-haired girl.

"I know, Amanda," said the red-haired girl, named Maxine. "But it was wonderful."

Donna stared at Maxine with some shock, not quite sure what to say. Amanda, the brown-haired girl, caught the look on Donna's face, and filled her in on some of the details.

"She had to go up to Ethyl's office a few weeks ago," said Amanda."

"I'd had my eye on him for the entire year," said Maxine. "I saw him looking at me a few times when I passed by him on my way to class, and I'm sure he had his eye on me, too."

"Anyway," said Amanda, "Maxine, here, wasn't getting very good grades, and it looked like she might be expelled. So one day she gets a summons to go to the chancellor's office to discuss her options."

Donna had her face in her hand. "Don't tell me-"

Maxine nodded, a triumphant smile on her face. "Yep."

"You really…?"

"Yep."

Donna was speechless. "So how'd it happen?" Despite the scandalous nature of the news, Donna couldn't deny she was curious.

"Oh, it started out normal enough," said Maxine. "He asked me how I was feeling, and to tell the truth, I was feeling pretty depressed. I mean, this is a great university and I did not want to be expelled in the slightest. And then he said that he understood how I felt, but, despite how he felt, that I would have to make a better effort in my classes and get my grades up if I wanted to stay here at Oxford."

"Then?"

"Then," said Maxine, "I mean, even though I was feeling down, I'd still had my eye on him. So I asked him if there were any other…options…for staying here. I was hoping he'd get the hint."

"Did he?" Donna asked.

Maxine nodded. "You bet he did. He leaned forward, elbows on his desk, and said that there _was_ another option, but that he wasn't sure if he should. So I told him I didn't care in the least if he did, and we both admitted we'd had our eyes on each other. Next thing you know, he and I are nearly naked, completely going at each other and shagging like there's no tomorrow."

Maxine ended her story there, obviously reveling in what she had done. Donna, meanwhile, was horrified. After a few moments of silence, she mumbled something about having to meet the Doctor at the administration building, and got up to leave.

"Is it all right if I come with you?" said Maxine.

"Why?" asked Donna.

"I have another "appointment" with Ethyls in about ten minutes." Maxine grinned, almost lustfully.

Donna stood there for a moment, eyeing Maxine warily, then said, "I suppose so."

"I promise I won't talk about shagging Ethyls," Maxine said.

"I'd rather you didn't," said Donna. The rest of the group of students laughed. "Well, come on then."

Donna started off and Maxine followed close behind at more of a skip than a walk. Once she caught up to Donna, she waited until the two were far enough away from the rest of the group before saying, "Of course, the bloke we saw you with earlier is just as good-looking."

"Yeah, well, that one's mine," said Donna, more forcefully than she intended. She apologized.

"That's all right; I understand," said Maxine. "I'd be that protective gorgeous bod of his too, if I were you. Although…"

"What?"

"You said he was just a friend."

"So what if I did?" said Donna.

Maxine shrugged. "Just wondering."

Donna thought she knew what Maxine was getting at, but said nothing. Soon enough, the two reached the administration building where the Doctor was already waiting, a few feet in front of the stone steps. Maxine hurried her pace and walked by him; as she ascended the steps, she turned back to look at Donna and the Doctor, a smirk on her face.

As soon as he saw Donna, the Doctor approached her and asked, "So, how'd it go?"

Donna made no reply. Instead, she stepped forward and grabbed hold of the Doctor's brown trenchcoat, bringing her face to his.

"Donna, what?" said the Doctor in almost a whisper.

Donna replied, in an equally whispered tone. "Shut up, Doctor." And she kissed him.


	8. Mr Smith Has an Idea

Thanks for the reviews, cheri1, super-calisto, HRInuyashaFan16, and dreamcatcher386!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 8: Mr. Smith Has an Idea**

oOo

_As soon as he saw Donna, the Doctor approached her and asked, "So, how'd it go?"_

_Donna made no reply. Instead, she stepped forward and grabbed hold of the Doctor's brown trenchcoat, bringing her face to his._

"_Donna, what?" said the Doctor in almost a whisper._

_Donna replied, in an equally whispered tone. "Shut up, Doctor." And she kissed him._

oOo

They stood there, kissing each other deeply, for what seemed like hours, though what in reality was only a few seconds. Donna felt like there were butterflies in her stomach, fluttering to break free, as the kiss continued, lengthened; the Doctor, both shocked and surprised, allowed her, his arms wrapped around her, and her arms, around him, both with their faces pressed against one another. They explored each other's mouths, tongues touching, as though in a dance, as the kiss deepened further and grew more passionate. At this very moment in time, neither of them cared about what was happening in the outside world; they only cared about each other, and the loving tenderness of the kiss that connected them mentally, physically, and emotionally.

And then, it was over. Donna and the Doctor slowly, reluctantly broke apart, still holding onto each other. There they stood, gazing at each other. Donna's hearts were pounding; she could feel the Doctor's hearts pounding as well, as he gazed at her tenderly. He gently brushed a strand of hair from Donna's face and placed it behind her ear, smiling.

"Donna Noble…" the Doctor, still with his trademark smile, searched for something to say.

"Yes, Doctor?" Donna asked.

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Oh, Donna."

For a moment, Donna thought the Doctor was going to kiss her, but instead, he stepped back, hands around her waist. Donna's hands rested on his shoulders and each looked at each other in silence for only a second.

"Of all the things I was expecting, that was certainly not it," said the Doctor.

"What were you expecting?" asked Donna.

The Doctor, still smiling, ignored this question and instead asked one himself. "Dare I ask what brought this on?"

"It was that girl you saw walking up with me," said Donna. "Maxine. She was part of a group of students I was questioning about the disappearances. They saw you and I walking toward the administration building. When I told them that you had gone to see Cadger Ethyls, Maxine started talking about how dreamy he was, and how she had actually shagged him once; she came with me because she had another so called "appointment" with him."

The Doctor looked almost disgusted at this piece of news. "I thought something seemed strange about him… I knew that if Jack ever met Cadger, he'd drag him to Torchwood for a shag session. I guess Cadger is just as bad as Jack; I just hope those two never, ever meet, or it'll be the end of the world."

Donna laughed. "Yeah, I suppose it would."

"But that still doesn't explain the kiss," said the Doctor.

"Well," Donna continued, "along the way here, Maxine mentioned that she thought you were very good looking, and considering that she was shagging the chancellor of Oxford University, it made me wary of her."

"So you wanted to protect me from her?" said the Doctor, grinning. He was touched.

Donna nodded. "I wanted to both protect you from her and show that you weren't available."

"And so you thought the best way to do that was by snogging me?"

"Right," said Donna. She paused, then asked him uncertainly, "I hope you're not angry at me."

"Why would I be angry?" the Doctor asked rhetorically. He suddenly grinned once more and pulled Donna into the close embrace of a hug. "Donna Noble, you're an amazing woman, you know that?" They broke apart.

"Well," Donna tilted her head and smiled as well, "I am the best temp in Chiswick. One hundred words per minute."

The Doctor gave out a great guffaw of laughter and said, "Too true, my Earth/Gallifreyan hybrid girl!" Which caused Donna to start laughing along with him.

After the two had settled down, Donna said, "We should probably get going back to the TARDIS."

"You're right," said the Doctor. "We can't very well talk about what we've found out here in public, now, can we?"

With that, Donna and the Doctor made their way back to the TARDIS. As before, their arms were linked around one another, so as to stave off stares and giggles from the female population. The wind began to pick up, though only slightly; Donna's hair whipped in her face and she had to use her free hand to brush it out of the way. As they walked, both were silent, lost in thought, thinking about the kiss they had just shared. Donna and the Doctor each knew, at the back of their minds, that Maxine was really only a small part of the reason they kissed. The real reason, though neither was quite ready to admit it out loud, was that they were each beginning to have feelings for each other, and not just mutual feelings of friendship. While at first that might have been the case, back when Donna was human, it was not that way any longer. Donna and the Doctor were starting to have romantic feelings for one another.

They reflected on when the first little spark of romantic feeling was felt for the other. For Donna, it started after she became a Time Lady and woke up in the Doctor's own bed, with the Doctor himself watching over her from the wicker armchair, making sure she was all right. On the other hand, the Doctor mused that his first feelings for Donna, feelings of more than friendship, was right before Donna became a Time Lady. It was that realization that she might die, never to breathe another breath. It was then the Doctor fully realized just how much he cared for Donna, and had subconsciously vowed to never let any danger come to her, not if he could help it. Indeed, the romantic feelings they had for each other were mutual; though at the moment, it was only a flickering spark of a feeling, small, but noticeably there. Only time would tell if it grew into flame.

While Donna and the Doctor were walking back toward the TARDIS, both deep in thought, a man appeared walking on the path, not too far from where they were. Donna took a closer look at the man, thinking he look somewhat familiar. The man was rather squat and had gray colored hair. He was also holding what looked like a mobile phone in his hand. Suddenly, Donna remembered who he was.

"It's that man again," she said.

"Hm?" said the Doctor. "Someone you know?"

"No, not really," said Donna. "He was at my work yesterday; I was in the break room for a bit, and he and my boss, Clyde, came in. They were talking in low voices, but I heard one of them mention something about the disappearances."

"Maybe he knows something about it," said the Doctor.

Donna shook her head. "I don't think he does," she said.

The Doctor looked at her. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"It sounded to me like they were just discussing an article in the paper about it," Donna replied. "Although…"

"What?"

"I do remember hearing one of them mention a blue box. Could they have been talking about the TARDIS?"

"It's possible," said the Doctor. The man was drawing nearer to them.

"Maybe they had heard about you from someone, and thought that this might be something you could investigate or solve, or something like that," Donna mused.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that were true," the Doctor replied. He tilted his head slightly. "Well, it technically is. I mean, I am here, investigating the disappearances. And I do intend to solve it."

Donna agreed that this was the case. As she and the Doctor passed by the man, Donna greeted him cheerily. She mentioned seeing him at the fashion agency with Clyde, though he might not have seen her since he had his back turned. The man glanced at them, looking none to please, and hurried past. As he did so, he opened up his mobile, dialed a number, and held it to his ear. Before the man was out of hearing range, Donna and the Doctor heard him greet whoever was on the other end, and then mention the name "Cadger."

"Oi, he was rude!" said Donna indignantly. "Did you see how he looked at us? Like there was something unpleasant on our clothes. I wonder what's with him?"

"I don't know," the Doctor replied. He glanced back at the man. "Maybe he wasn't having a good day."

"If he glances at us like that again, I'll make _sure_ he doesn't have a good day."

"Now, Donna, I know he was rude, but that's no reason to resort to violence."

"I'm just saying…oh, never mind." Donna was silent for a moment. "He mentioned Cadger, though… I wonder if he works here?"

"Probably," said the Doctor. "Although if he does, I feel sorry for the students who encounter him." Donna murmured and agreement.

Other than that, not much more was said between them. They reached the TARDIS soon after, and once they got inside, relayed to each other what they had found out regarding the disappearances. The Doctor admitted that he had not found out anything of importance from Cadger Ethyls, while Donna told the Doctor all that she had learned from the students. She told him of the huge shadow that appeared overhead whenever someone was taken, and that it did not appear to have any kind of source. She also mentioned how there was a scream that accompanied it, which sounded much louder than a normal scream ought to.

The Doctor, very much intrigued, listened without interruption. As soon as Donna was finished speaking, he mentioned getting Mr. Smith's take on this. The Doctor then got the TARDIS up and going, twiddled a dial here, turned a knob there, and took it back to Sarah Jane's house.

o

The TARDIS rematerialized inside Sarah Jane's attic. Once it was finished, Donna and the Doctor rushed past the console, through the TARDIS door and into the attic itself, where a somewhat startled Sarah Jane met them.

"Sarah Jane!" the Doctor greeted enthusiastically. "You ok? You look like something scared you."

"I'm find," Sarah Jane replied. "I just wasn't expecting you and Donna to come back so soon."

"Yeah, well…" said the Doctor. He trailed off. "It didn't take as long as we thought."

"We needed to speak to Mr. Smith," said Donna, "and tell him what we learned."

The Doctor stepped in front of Donna, a grin on his face, and waved. "Donna, I'm right here."

Sarah Jane rolled her eyes, while Donna gave the Doctor a withering look. "Not Mr. Smith as in _you_, space man," she said. "Mr. Smith as in the _computer_."

The Doctor winked at Donna, then turned to face the brick and said in a loud, clear voice, "Mr. Smith! I need you!"

"He's mental," Donna whispered to Sarah Jane. But she was smiling when she said it.

"Donna, I traveled with the man for a while, too," Sarah Jane replied, smiling. "I've had my fair share of mental."

Mr. Smith, the computer and _not_ the Time Lord, opened up from the brick wall of the attic with all of his usual noise and fanfare. As soon as the processed was finished, Mr. Smith said, "Greetings, Doctor."

"Greetings, Mr. Smith," the Doctor replied. "My friend-" Here, the Doctor reached back and pulled Donna forward, so that she was standing right next to him. "-and I have just returned from an excursion to the university in Oxford."

"Ah, investigating the disappearances, I assume?"

"Correct," said the Doctor.

"Very well, then, what did you find?"

The Doctor opened his mouth, about to speak, but Donna stepped forward and spoke instead. "I spoke to a group of students, and they told me that whenever someone was taken, there was a huge shadow overhead, seemingly without a source. They also told me that there was always a scream, sort of like an echo and much louder than a normal scream, that came along with it."

"Definitely suspicious," Mr. Smith replied.

"Can you do a scan of the area? Find out if anything is off?" the Doctor asked.

"I already have," said Mr. Smith. "I took the liberty of doing so when I heard your TARDIS arriving."

"And??" the Doctor asked impatiently.

"I'm going to need more information relating to the disappearances before I am able to collect accurate data."

Donna sighed and the Doctor, clearly frustrated, ran his fingers through his hair, causing it to stand on end. Donna thought it looked rather dashing, though she didn't think this was the right moment to say so.

"Think, Donna," said the Doctor, turning to her. "What can we do to get more information? If we go to Oxford just as random investigators, people might start suspecting us of having a hand in this."

Donna shrugged, an apologetic look on her face, and replied, "I'm sorry, Doctor. The only thing I can think of is becoming students, and even then, we look a bit too old to be students at a university."

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair again and began pacing. "Not necessarily," he replied, after a moment of silence. "Adults like us (well, adults like you and senior citizens like me) do return to school on occasion to beef up career prospects."

"I know," replied Donna. "I just think there's a better way to handle this situation."

Luckily, that "better way" came not two seconds later.

"You two," came Sarah Jane's voice. Donna and the Doctor turned to Sarah Jane, where she had been conversing with the computer. "I think Mr. Smith can do you one better."

"Really?" asked the Doctor, with a tilt of the head and a curious expression on his face. "What?"

"You're not going to have us become Oxford professors are you?" Donna asked, if a bit sarcastically.

"Actually," replied Mr. Smith, "that is _exactly_ what I had in mind." Before Donna or the Doctor had a chance to interrupt, he continued. "I have checked Oxford's database and, due to the disappearances, there are open teaching positions available: Chemistry and History. Now, you two have no need to worry. I can produce the documents both of you will need in order to teach there, as well as put your information into their database so that they will think you have already contacted them about applying. After all, you wouldn't want to look suspicious, would you?"

The Doctor was grinning. "No, we wouldn't," he said. "Thank you so much for this, Mr. Smith! Normally, I'd just use my psychic paper, but unfortunately that won't suffice for something like this."

"You are quite right, Doctor," said Mr. Smith. He paused, then asked them, "What say you?"

The Doctor glanced at Donna. While looking a bit nervous, she also had a grin on her face. He faced Mr. Smith and said the three words that would seal the deal.

"Count us in."


	9. Oxford Professors

Thanks for the reviews, peanuts107, super-calisto and dreamcatcher386!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 9: Oxford Professors**

oOo

_The Doctor was grinning. "No, we wouldn't," he said. "Thank you so much for this, Mr. Smith! Normally, I'd just use my psychic paper, but unfortunately that won't suffice for something like this."_

"_You are quite right, Doctor," said Mr. Smith. He paused, then asked them, "What say you?"_

_The Doctor glanced at Donna. While looking a bit nervous, she also had a grin on her face. He faced Mr. Smith and said the three words that would seal the deal._

"_Count us in."_

oOo

The next day dawned, and Donna and the Doctor were saying their good-byes to Sarah Jane and Luke; they had spent the night at Sarah Jane's house, the night before. As they had the previous time, Donna and the Doctor slept inside the TARDIS in their respective bedrooms. The two had woken up early, for they wanted to get to Oxford at a good time, just after the people who worked in the administration building would have had breakfast. So it was with this in mind that Donna and the Doctor dined with Sarah Jane and Luke, and had then told them that they would be leaving shortly after.

"Good bye, Donna, Doctor!" said Sarah Jane as she hugged them both.

"Good bye, Sarah Jane and Luke!" said the Doctor.

"Yeah, bye you two," said Donna.

"When will you be back?" asked Luke, gazing up at the Doctor and Donna.

"Dunno," said the Doctor with an air of optimism and adventure. "Donna?"

"Why are you asking me?" said Donna.

"I'm not quite sure," the Doctor replied. He turned back to Luke and said, "Whenever the wind brings us back 'round, I suppose."

"In other words, he doesn't know," said Donna.

"Oi! I do too!" the Doctor protested. "We'll be back…when we're back."

"Like I said, he doesn't know," said Donna. "But we will be back, I know that much."

"Good," said Luke. "Because I have a theory on the particles of spacial quantum physics I wanted to get your opinion on."

"I look forward to hearing it," said the Doctor. "In the mean time, Donna and I have got to get going. See you later!"

Donna and the Doctor waved good bye to Sarah Jane and Luke, then stepped inside the TARDIS. Once Donna had closed the door, she went to the console, where the Doctor was waiting for her.

"Let's go, shall we?" he said.

"Let's."

The Doctor turned a few dials, switched a few switches, and the TARDIS was dematerializing from Sarah Jane's attic and then materializing on the campus of Oxford University. Donna would have helped, but even being a Time Lady didn't give a person completely knowledge of running a TARDIS; there were some things she would still have to learn, and learn then she most certainly would. In fact, Donna had gone on many a trip to the TARDIS library and had found a few books on running the TARDIS. So she had been reading through those, gaining knowledge as she read along. There were still two books for Donna to read on operating a TARDIS, and once she was done with those, she knew she would then be able to run the TARDIS right alongside the Doctor.

The TARDIS landed and Donna rushed to open the doors. She was surprised to see they were almost right behind the administration building, in a small grove of trees. Sunlight filtered in through the leaves and branches, giving the grove a pleasant morning glow.

"Pretty isn't it?" said the Doctor, first glancing around at the trees, then down at Donna.

Donna started. "_Don't_ sneak up on me like that, Doctor."

"Sorry."

"But yes, it is very pretty."

Donna and the Doctor exited the TARDIS, each with a resumé, created by Mr. Smith, in hand. Each resumé listed, among other important bits of information, what university each had attended, what type of degree each held (in Donna's case, an MA in History with an emphasis in Scottish History of the 1700s; and, in the Doctor's case, a PhD in Physics), and a list of references. Naturally, being a Time Lord and Lady, the Doctor and Donna already knew everything they were going to teach on; still, however, it helped to have some kind of proof of that knowledge.

When the came around to the front of the building, the Doctor noticed Marianne in the closest window to the right of the stone steps; she was looking directly at him and Donna, with her face pressed up against the glass so that her nose appeared squashed. Her blond hair hung mostly behind her ears, though some of it was being twirled around a pair of fingers on her left hand. Her other hand rested on the windowsill.

"Who's that?" Donna asked the Doctor.

The Doctor sighed. "Her name is Marianne. She's the receptionist."

"I wish she wouldn't stare at us like that," said Donna, noticing the forlorn look in Marianne's eyes. "It gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," the Doctor said darkly.

"Why does she keep looking at us?" Donna asked. "Couldn't we scare her off or something?"

"Like how? Crouch down, creep up to the window, then jump up screaming and waving our arms?" The Doctor paused for a moment, then continued. "She fancies me."

Donna gave the Doctor an incredulous look. "She _fancies_ you?"

The Doctor nodded an affirmative. "Yep."

"She looks rather silly, twirling her hair like that," said Donna.

As Donna and the Doctor talked, they made their way to the stairs; Marianne's eyes followed them, and remained on the two even as they paused before going up the steps and making their way inside the building.

"Yeah, well…"

"Do you fancy _her_?"

"What?" exclaimed the Doctor. "No! I was just trying to charm my way up to Cadger's office; strictly for business purposes, you understand. Besides, she's not the one I fancy. I mean, I used to fancy Rose…but she's with my clone, so I'm happy for them; really, I am. But now there's someone else that I fancy."

Donna felt her heart flutter at this, mixed with a tinge of sadness at remembering Rose, but said nothing other than, "Just wondering."

"Anyway," said the Doctor, changing his tone. It was now a tone of one who is about to go on an adventure. "Let's stop wasting time here, arguing about Marianne, shall we? We have resumés to turn in!"

And with that, he put his arm around Donna's shoulders as the two walked up the steps, into the building. Neither of them noticed the sadness that appeared in Marianne's face, as her eyes followed the two out of sight.

When Donna and the Doctor entered the building, Marianne was not to be found at her usual post. Instead, they saw her silhouette through an opened doorway, sitting down. The silhouette of Marianne appeared to be facing them, still watching through the narrow opening. A box of tissues rested in her lap. A sob could be heard from behind the doorway.

"You know," Donna said in a low voice, so only the Doctor could hear her, "if I didn't feel so creeped out right now, I might actually feel sorry for her."

"True," said the Doctor. "Let's move on, shall we?"

The Doctor held out his arm, gesturing for Donna to go ahead of him. Then, two made their way down a hall and to a door made of opaque glass, and on this at eye-level the words "Career Services" were printed in black against the golden background of a plaque. Donna was the first to enter the office, which was made up of about two good-sized rooms. The first room, where Donna and the Doctor were, had two desks at which sat two people, each typing away at their computers. Behind them were a few filing cabinets. A door leading into the second room was open, and through it, Donna and the Doctor could see a few small tables, each surrounded by two to three chairs. Each of the tables had a small amount of pamphlets, most likely having to do with job searches or places that were already hiring.

"Can I help you?" The voice came from a woman who had just walked in from the second room.

"Yes," said the Doctor. "My friend and I wanted to apply to the two available teaching positions you have."

The woman nodded. "Very well, then. Do you have your resumés with you?"

"Yeah, here," said Donna.

She and the Doctor handed over their resumés and were told to come back in two days time to be interviewed for their requested teaching positions. With that thought in mind, they both thanked the woman then made their back through the hall. Marianne was nowhere to be found; not her person, not her silhouette, not even her sniffles of sadness. Donna wondered aloud where Marianne could possibly have gone, to which the Doctor replied that she might have gone to buy a pint of ice-cream.

"_Ice-cream_?" said Donna, as she and the Doctor exited the building and made their way back to the TARDIS.

"Isn't that what female humans do when they've lost a love?" asked the Doctor.

"Some do," said Donna. They were nearing the grove. "I just hope she's not waiting at the TARDIS to ambush us with ice-cream balls and a catapult."

"Donna…" said the Doctor, in a voice that clearly said he didn't approve of what Donna had said.

"Sorry," said Donna.

The two of them reached the TARDIS and proceeded to go forward in time two days, to the time of their interviews. The interviews themselves went by swimmingly; once the mentioned interviews were finished and Donna and the Doctor free to go, the former of the two thanked the interviewers profusely while the latter thanked them once and led the former out of the room.

Donna and the Doctor got back in the TARDIS, then waited a day to hear if they had been hired for the positions: Donna, for Introduction to Scottish History; the Doctor, for Introduction to Physics. Each class, Donna and the Doctor surmised, would be full of mainly first and second year students at the university. They heard from Oxford almost instantly. Donna and the Doctor were told that they were the most qualified people and, needless to say, they were glad to hear that the decision to hire them had been made almost right after they had left the interviewers. So, the Doctor took the TARDIS forward in time to one week later, when the teaching positions were to begin.

o

"So, class," said the Doctor. "My name is John Smith, although you can call me either John or Dr. Smith, whichever you prefer. Well, you can call me anything you like, really, so long as it isn't something mean."

There was a ripple of laughter. The class, composed mostly of students in their second and third year at the university, all had smiles on their faces. Despite missing their old professor, they were beginning to like the new one rather well, and it hadn't even been five minutes into the period.

"Now where did your previous professor leave off?" The Doctor looked around the room expectantly, and picked on a red haired girl who had raised her hand. "Yes, Miss…?"

"Maxine."

"Ah… Maxine." The Doctor recognized her from a few days previously. She had been the girl walking with Donna. He hoped Maxine wouldn't try anything on him, although since Maxine was shagging the chancellor, he doubted it. He did, however, have half a mind to ask Maxine just what the hell she was thinking, but he restrained himself.

"Yes," said Maxine. "We left off with a lecture on the scientific method of physics. We were just about to start on physics' relation to math and other forms of science."

"Right, thank you, Maxine." The Doctor turned to the whiteboard and, picking up a dry-erase marker, began writing. "I'm sure you all know who Galileo is," he said.

"We learned about him when we were in primary school," said a male student. "You'd have to be a complete idiot not to know who _he_ is."

There was some laughter, and the Doctor said, "Quite right. Now, in 1622, Galileo realized that nature expresses its laws, its very elements, through the use of math. Many of the results one gets in physics and basically just measurements of numbers; it is these that physics uses math for to get the results." The Doctor looked behind him, and noticed that only a few of the students had notebooks or laptops out. "You know, I do expect everyone here to take notes on what I'm saying. Believe me when I say that you will be profoundly grateful for them once exams come around."

The students who had nothing out scrambled for paper, asking their peers to borrow a few sheets. Once they had the paper, as well as pens or pencils in hand, they hurriedly began copying down what the Doctor had written on the board. He notice that Maxine still had not taken anything out, and asked her why.

"I just don't see the point, really," she replied. "I don't pay attention all that much."

"But you sure knew the previous lecture topic," countered the Doctor. "Although, maybe it's that you're better with knowing things involving statistics. Or schedules. If the latter is the case, then say, for a theoretical moment, that a student who doesn't care about notes doesn't for a particular reason. And it's because they don't care about the class, more specifically what kind of marks they'll receive, due to the fact that they're shagging the chancellor twice a week in return for those good marks." Quite a few of the students gasped in shock. "Like I said, though. That's a purely theoretical situation."

Nevertheless, Maxine immediately took out a sheet of paper and began taking notes. Rather pleased with himself, the Doctor continued the lecture.

"Now, the logical framework on which physics rests is that of math. With out math, you couldn't have physics, and without physics, well, the world wouldn't be quite as interesting."

The Doctor continued the lecture for another hour. For the next half hour (the class was one and a half hours long), he had the students debate the ways in which physics was related to various other sciences. It turned out to be a very lively discussion, and the Doctor enjoyed every second of it. He loved it when humans expanded their minds like this, to grasp complex subjects and see where the ideas they got led them. It just went to show how amazing the human race really was. The Doctor was very much disappointed, then, when the class ended for the day.

o

"Yes, Fred?"

A student with sandy-colored hair had raised his hand.

"Could you repeat that?"

"Of course," said Donna. "Because of where Scotland was situated, and how much it relied on sea trade routes, it had close ties with some of the Baltic countries, mainly in the south and east areas."

She looked up at the clock and noted the time. There was only fifteen minutes until the end of class, which Donna, while liking teaching, was looking forward to. She and the Doctor had made arrangements to meet outside the canteen for dinner, which opened in approximately twenty minutes.

"Thank you," said Fred.

"You're welcome." Donna turned back to the powerpoint, which she had put together the night before, with the assistance of two books: one, an instructional book on how to do powerpoint presentations and the other, a thick volume on Scottish history. She clicked a key on the computer keyboard, and the slide changed. "Now, Scotland and England were united into the kingdom of Great Britain following the Acts of Union. Because of this, Scotland became one of the foremost industrial, commercial, and intellectual powerhouses of Europe."

Donna spoke further on the issue until the end of class. As the students were busy packing away their things and filing out of the classroom, Donna turned off the powerpoint and unhooked the cord leading from the computer to the overhead projector. She turned off the computer and once the last student had exited the room, she turned out the lights. Donna then headed out of the classroom herself. She walked outside into the cool evening air and listenedd as a breeze rustled some overhead tree branches. Laughter of nearby students could be heard as they chased each other about, seeing who could reach the canteen first.

Donna observed them as she walked toward the canteen. She and the Doctor both taught a class at the same exact time, only on near opposite ends of the campus. As such, they had agreed to meet in front of the canteen, then go inside together to eat. At first Donna figured it would be just too weird, a professor eating in the same room with a bunch of rowdy university students; however, the Doctor assured her that, at the vast majority of universities that existed, professors did occasionally eat in the same canteen with the students.

oOo

Kudos to Wikipedia for the info on physics and Scottish history!!


	10. Some Alone Time

Thanks for the reviews, Seileach and dreamcatcher386!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 10: Some Alone Time**

oOo

_Donna and the Doctor both taught a class at the same exact time, only on near opposite ends of the campus. As such, they had agreed to meet in front of the canteen, then go inside together to eat. At first Donna figured it would be just too weird, a professor eating in the same room with a bunch of rowdy university students; however, the Doctor assured her that, at the vast majority of universities that existed, professors did occasionally eat in the same canteen with the students._

oOo

As she walked toward the canteen, Donna thought about the class she had just taught. If there was one thing she _never_ thought she would be doing, it was teaching. Donna had always figured on temping the rest of her life, sad though it may seem. That did not mean, however, that the teaching position was unwelcome; quite the contrary. If anything, Donna loved the opportunity to do something else, something more productive, with her life.

There was a slight breeze, wending its way through the evening air. Donna put on her jacket, which she had previously been carrying, to keep herself warmer. As she approached the canteen, she watched as students streamed both in and out of the building, book bags and notebooks in hand, headed possibly back to their dormitories or the library. Through the mass of students, Donna saw the Doctor. He was leaning up against the wall, hands in trench coat pockets, with his head back and eyes closed. He looked very relaxed, Donna thought, almost as though he was asleep; but, as she approached, the Doctor opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her.

"You done sleeping, space man?"

"Ha ha," said the Doctor sarcastically. He stopped leaning against the wall, and began walking with Donna toward the canteen entrance. "I was relaxing, if you must know. Teaching a bunch of university kids can be tiring."

"Oh, of course," said Donna. "After all, compared to fighting Sontarans, Vashta Nerada, Daleks, and being injured to the point of regeneration, teaching university students must be _so_ difficult."

The Doctor turned to look at her, could think of nothing to say, so remained silent.

Donna gloated. "You're speechless!"

"I am not!" said the Doctor, almost indignantly.

"Oh yes you are," said Donna.

"Am not."

"You really _are_ speechless," said Donna. "I am loving this!"

"I'm not speechless," said the Doctor. "I'm just…responding with a dignified silence."

"HA!" Donna crowed. "I'll believe that was dignified silence when pigs grow wings."

"Actually, there is a planet, near Messaline, where pigs can fly," said the Doctor.

"Oh shut it, space man," said Donna, which caused the Doctor to start laughing. Pretty soon, Donna was laughing along with him for the sheer ridiculousness of it all, and only settled down once she and the Doctor had entered the canteen and picked out what food they wanted.

"Where should we sit?" asked Donna. She and the Doctor gazed around the room, full of tables and chairs and famished students, tucking into a good meal.

"How about over there?" the Doctor pointed to a table, seating two, near a window on the far side of the room. Donna nodded and the two began slowly dodging students while they made their way to the table, which they reached with not a drop spilled.

As Donna and the Doctor ate their meal, they talked about how their classes had gone during that day. Donna told the Doctor how much she enjoyed teaching Scottish history, which she liked a lot more that she previously thought she would. The Doctor congratulated Donna and this, and also mentioned how he used to have a Scottish companion traveling with him.

"Oh really?" said Donna, with some interest. "When was this?"

"Long time ago," said the Doctor, taking a bite of bread. He chewed, swallowed, and said, "I was in my second life, or whatever you want to call it. I looked like Mo, from the Three Stooges."

Donna laughed. "I can imagine that; Larry, Curly, and Mo, biting and punching each other all around the console."

"Oi!" But the Doctor was laughing.

"What was her name?" asked Donna.

"It was a him, actually," said the Doctor. "Well, I had both a him and a her. The "her" was Zoe. Nice girl."

"I bet," said Donna. "So who was the bloke?"

"His name was James McCrimmon," the Doctor replied, slurping up some soup from a spoon. "Although, we all just called him Jamie. He came from the 1700s era of Scotland."

"What happened to him?"

"Well," the Doctor leaned back in his chair, sighed somewhat, and had a look about his face that said he was thinking about a long past memory. "To tell you this, you'll need a bit of background. To start, I was kind of on the run from my fellow Time Lords because I had stolen a TARDIS; the same one I'm using now. If I was ever to set foot back on Gallifrey, I knew I would get into heaps of trouble. So, I did whatever I could to avoid my home planet." He paused a moment, the continued. "Anyway, there was this one place the TARDIS landed, it was in what appeared to be a battlefield from the first world war. But, it wasn't really World War One. Some rogues had decided to have a little fun playing war games, and my companions and I were caught up in the middle of it"

"So what happened?" Donna asked.

"Well, these war games involved a kind of mist, separating different battles and battlefields from varying points in history from each other. Luckily, through a certain series of events, I eventually found out what was going on," the Doctor said. "I knew, however, that I wouldn't be able to put everything to rights on my own. So, very much reluctantly, I had to call on my fellow Time Lords for assistance."

"Did Jamie and Zoe go with you?"

The Doctor nodded in confirmation. "The blokes who had started the war games, also Time Lords, went too. Needless to say, they were severely punished. After them, I was put on trial. After all, I had stolen a TARDIS, broke the laws of time, and interfered in the history of other planets. I tried to argue that what I did, it was for the good of everyone, but that didn't work out so well for me. At one point Jamie and Zoe convinced me to escape while I was waiting to hear the verdict."

"I take it you didn't succeed," said Donna. It wasn't a question.

"Nope."

"What happened then?"

"The three of us were caught, just as we were about to reach the TARDIS. Jamie and Zoe were sent back to their own time periods, their memories of me completely wiped, save that of their first adventure with me." The Doctor gulped down some water; talking this much was making him thirsty. "I, of course, was exiled on Earth, after a forced regeneration. But that's another story for another night."

After the Doctor was finished, he and Donna sat at the table in silence for a few moments, each thinking about what had just been said. Occasionally, they ate a bite of the dwindling food on their plates. Then, Donna remembered something.

"Doctor," she said.

"Hm?"

"Remember when you showed me the files from the missing people?"

"What about it?"

"There was a missing professor…"

"There were two missing professors," the Doctor reminded.

"Yes, I know that," said Donna impatiently. "But the name of one of the professors was James McCrimmon."

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Yeah, I did think that was odd," he said. "But then, there are several people in the world, and in times past and present, who share names. I know for a fact that there have been numerous John Smith's."

"That's just your alias," Donna pointed out.

"I know, but still," said the Doctor. "Just because there's a James McCrimmon listed under the Oxford faculty, it doesn't mean that it's the same Jamie I knew. Besides, it's doubtful, even laughable, that it would be the same person. I mean, first of all, how would he have arrived here in the first place?"

Donna didn't answer. There was silence between the two for a few minutes, until Donna asked the Doctor how his class teaching had gone. The Doctor replied rather enthusiastically.

"Oh, it's wonderful!" The Doctor said happily. "I love how you humans are able to grasp such complex (to humans, anyway) subjects as physics. It's positively amazing!"

Donna grinned. "Any students stand out in particular?"

"No, not really," said the Doctor. "Although, that Maxine was in the class."

"She didn't try anything on you, did she?" Donna asked.

"No, thankfully," said the Doctor. "Although I did hint that the reason she wasn't taking notes was because she had a previous arrangement which enabled her to pass that class without effort."

"You didn't mention Cadger, did you?"

The Doctor grinned innocently. "I might have."

"Doctor!"

"What? I didn't actually say she was the one shagging Cadger Ethyls," the Doctor protested. "All I did was make it sound like a hypothetical situation. No one but Maxine and I actually knew what was really being talked about."

"Did it make her pay attention?"

"You bet. She snapped to attention immediately and was a good little student for the rest of the class."

"That's good then, I guess," said Donna. "Although you sure had a twisted way of going about it."

The Doctor grinned impishly at her.

The two finished eating dinner soon after. As they were leaving the canteen, after having dropped of the trays with crumbs of their meals, they saw Maxine, laughing and joking with a group of friends. They were the same friends, in fact, that Donna had seen her a few days previously. One of the friends saw Donna and waved; Donna reciprocated. Maxine was about to wave too, but when she saw the Doctor, she hurried inside the building.

"Great, now you've made her frightened of you," said Donna, not being entirely serious.

"It's her own fault," said the Doctor. "She's the one shagging the chancellor, a big no-no, I believe."

Donna decided to let the matter rest, so said nothing more on the subject.

o

Donna and the Doctor, each feeling content and relaxed after the dinner they had just eating, headed back to the TARDIS. Together, they walked under cover of the setting sun, which gave off a deep, golden glow and turned the sky and clouds around it the color of light red roses, deepening into a darker pink color as the evening sky turned night. When they reached the TARDIS, the sky was just beginning to be sprinkled with stars, each shining brightly and casting a romantic glow on the Earth beneath them.

The Doctor opened the TARDIS door and let Donna enter first, before following in behind her and closing the door. He then went over to the seat by the console and sat down, stretching.

"You look relaxed," Donna remarked. She sat down next to him.

"Mmhm." The Doctor put his feet up on the console and his hands behind his head. His eyes were closed and there was a contented expression on his face; he did indeed look relaxed.

Donna relaxed as well, sitting as she was, next to the Doctor. She would have tried to rest her feet on the console like he was doing, but since she was shorter than the Doctor, she didn't think she'd be able to stretch out that far. So, instead, Donna stretched out as best she could, looking every bit as comfortable as the Doctor did. Donna looked over at him; she smiled when she saw that he was dozing.

"Donna?" said the Doctor suddenly. Donna started; she hadn't thought the Doctor was awake.

"What is it?"

"What about us?"

Donna was confused. "Pardon?"

"Us. What about it?"

Slightly more perplexed, Donna asked. "What _about_ us? What are you talking about?"

"I was thinking about that kiss you gave me, a few days ago in front of the administration building." The Doctor sighed and took his feet from the console, and instead letting them rest on the floor. He turned to Donna. "You said that you had done it to protect me from Maxine."

"I did," said Donna. _What on Earth is he getting at?_

"Is that only why you did it? Or was there more than one reason?"

"What do you mean?" Donna thought she might already know; at least, she had a feeling now, what he might be hinting at. But, she believed it would be wise to at least hear him out, to find if her suspicions were correct. Not that they were bad suspicions; quite the contrary.

"Maybe I should start over…?" It was both a statement and a request. Donna nodded, so the Doctor continued. "Do you remember how I said on that day, that I used to have feelings for Rose?"

"I do," said Donna.

"Well," said the Doctor, "I _did_ used to have feelings for her. She was the first companion I had after the Time War, and something about her just…endeared itself to me. I don't know how it happened, but at first, my feelings for Rose were what they had been for every other companion of mine. Purely platonic feelings, of friendship…a deep kind of friendship."

"But slowly, those feelings began to change."

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't until I lost her, that day in the Torchwood building at Canary Wharf, that I realized how much I truly loved her. And when I appeared to her, as an image, at Bad Wolf Bay, I wanted to badly to tell her my feelings; I really did. But something was preventing me from doing so. Maybe it was my own stubbornness; after all, I hadn't felt that way about any female for what seemed like eons. Thankfully, I did get the courage to actually tell Rose that I loved her; but, right before I was about to say those words, the image of myself vanished. I was left there, in the TARDIS, feeling almost suicidal. I can only imagine Rose's devastation." Even though that had happened ages ago, the Doctor still felt the absolute pain and heart-wrenching sadness; he even felt himself beginning to choke up slightly, so he took a moment to compose himself before going on.

"Wait… that was right before I met you," said Donna. "I remember seeing dried tears on your face, but I never knew what."

"Yes, that was right before you met me, but never mind that now," said the Doctor. "Anyway, when I saw Rose again, for the first time in two or three years, you can imagine how I must have been feeling."

Donna could, in fact. She remembered the look of shock, and then of pure joy, before he had began running toward Rose.

"You can probably imagine how I must have been feeling, then, as I was leaving Rose once more at Bad Wolf Bay. Only, unlike the previous time, she had my clone. I didn't want to leave her again, but I knew I must. My clone had committed genocide; I understand the reasoning for it, believe me. But I wanted to at least give Davros and the Daleks a chance to leave before decimating them; as you know, I didn't get that chance." The Doctor sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "So I left Rose with my clone, because I knew she could do for him what she did for me, after the Time War. It hurt, to see her kiss him like that, when I knew it should be me. But Rose's place was now in that universe, along with my clone. In the days that followed, what with losing Rose again, as well as you, you can say that I was not the most happy of persons. I had just lost those I cared about all over again. But while I was still regretting your fate, I at least was able to think about Rose and my clone, in the other universe."

"What were your thoughts about it?" asked Donna.

"I realized that, while I was depressed beyond belief, that I was also beginning to feel happy," said the Doctor. "I was happy that Rose finally had the chance to live with me, after a fashion. What's more, she would be able to spend her life with my human version; a happy life, with someone who she would be able to grow old. Unlike if she had stayed with me, where she would have aged while I would not."

"I'm glad you've had closure regarding that," said Donna, with sincerity.

"Me too," said the Doctor. There was a moment of silence before he began speaking again. "Like I said, I'm happy that Rose is happy with my human version."

"But…?"

"What makes you think there's a but?"

"Don't play daft with me, Doctor."

"Right. Well, I know I used to have feelings for Rose, but the thing is… I don't. At least, not anymore. Not toward her." The Doctor swallowed. "Truth is, there's someone else I'm beginning to have some feelings toward. I didn't think I would, but they're there."

Donna wondered who he was talking about, even though she thought she already knew. Nevertheless, she asked, just to be sure. "Who, Doctor?"

"I'm getting there," he replied. "This person I'm having feelings for… I only thought of this person of a really great friend. At first. But recently, something happened to this person that made me realize how much I really cared about them. I realized that what I was feeling toward this person were feelings, not of friendship, but something more, much more, than that."

Donna listened to the Doctor as he spoke. With each word, her heart began beating quicker and quicker, though not quite so fast as to give away the butterflies that were fluttering in her stomach, trying to break free.

"Donna, I have to ask you something. But I want you to be totally and completely honest with me."

Donna looked into his eyes, both of which held a look of intensity. "Ok," she said softly. "I promise."

"Do you have feelings for me?" The Doctor quickly added, "Before you answer, let me say that a tip-off was the kiss from a few days ago. You didn't have to snog me like you did; a quick peck would have sufficed. The fact that there was an all-out snog indicated, at least to me, that you felt the same way about me as I do about you. I _do_ have feelings for you. I didn't realize them for what they were until I thought you were going to burn up, after seeing the TARDIS. But the feelings are there. So, Donna, be honest with me. Do you feel the same way for me that I do for you?"

Donna stared at the Doctor, not fully comprehending what he was saying. Did she feel the same way for him that he did for her? Darn right, she did. She just hadn't exactly expected the Doctor to full on admit it like this. Needless to say, it took her by surprise, so it was a few seconds before she calmed enough to speak.

"Doctor, I-"

"If you don't, I'll understand. Just say the word, and I'll drop the subject and never bring it up again."

"If you hadn't interrupted me, you prawn, you wouldn't have to go feeling all insecure about it."

The Doctor tilted his head, a somewhat confused expression on his face, though with a hint of realization. "So you-"

"Duh, space man," said Donna, with a smile and slight laugh. "Did you even have to ask?"

"Well, I wanted to be sure," the Doctor replied. Now that he was, a huge grin spread over his face. He turned to Donna, placed his hand gently on her shoulder, and looked her directly in the eye. The grin softened somewhat, though he was still smiling.

"Now what are you thinking?" Donna asked, likewise gazing him in the eye. "That since I kissed you first, it's your turn?"

"Yep."

"This relationship is moving kinda fast, don't you think?"

The Doctor gave her an odd look. "Too fast for who?"

Donna sighed. "So you're a naïve space man who _also_ doesn't know how to tell when someone is joking."

"Oh HA HA, very funny, Noble," said the Doctor.

Donna smiled.

"So what are you thinking, Doctor?" she said.

"I'm thinking what will happen if I do this," the Doctor replied. He drew Donna toward him, arms around her, and gave her an ever-so-light kiss. He drew his face back and looked at her.

"Well, I'm not complaining," said Donna.

"What are you going to do about it?" the Doctor asked her.

"This," she replied. And she kissed him right back.

The two of them sat there, in each other's embraces, lightly kissing one another. The tender feel of the Doctor's lips against her own made Donna's skin tingle. As the kiss deepened, the Doctor's hold on Donna grew tighter, more secure, as if he wanted to protect her from something unseen. The kiss turned to snogging, just as it had a few days previously. Needless to say, each was quite enjoying it, something they know they wouldn't have before Donna became a Time Lady. For what reason, they weren't sure, but that did not matter. What mattered was the here and now, and the snogging that they were currently doing. When the kiss ended, Donna and the Doctor slowly separated, each gazing into each other's eyes.

"We should probably get going to bed," said the Doctor. "Not with each other."

"Yeah, I sorta figured that," said Donna, with a slight laugh.

Somewhat reluctanctly, the two got up from the seat and went around the console. They said good night to each other once they reached the hallway, and separated: Donna, to her room and the Doctor, to his room.

o

A week and a half went by with no indication of the disappearances, or having anything having even the slightest hint of something to do with what was going on. Nevertheless, Donna and the Doctor kept their ears open, waiting to hear even the slightest pinprick of a hint; however, nothing was heard of. So, one day, when Donna and the Doctor had a chance to eat lunch together, a plan was made. That night, they were to investigate the disappearances, to see if they could find anything new.


	11. Nighttime Investigation

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oOo

**Chapter 11: Nighttime Investigation**

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_A week and a half went by with no indication of the disappearances, or having anything having even the slightest hint of something to do with what was going on. Nevertheless, Donna and the Doctor kept their ears open, waiting to hear even the slightest pinprick of a hint; however, nothing was heard of. So, one day, when Donna and the Doctor had a chance to eat lunch together, a plan was made. That night, they were to investigate the disappearances, to see if they could find anything new. _

oOo

Donna and the Doctor had just finished teaching their classes and were currently having dinner, once more, in the canteen. It had already been decided that they would wait to investigate until every one of the students was safe and sound, asleep, in their beds. So, until that moment arrived, Donna and the Doctor agreed to just take it easy and enjoy each other's company.

"So, Donna, what do you think about this food, eh?"

Donna looked up at the Doctor in between a bite she had been about to take, of shepherd's pie. "It's all right, I suppose. Although I feel like I'm back in school as a student, not a bleeding teacher."

"Language, Noble."

"What? I'm an adult, not a flipping kid," Donna responded. "Anyway, this pie here is a bit dry. I don't suppose I could talk to the canteen ladies?"

"What would you tell them?" said the Doctor. "That their cooking tastes like Slitheen urine?"

Donna gave the Doctor an almost disgusted look. "I'm sure you'd know."

"Actually, yes, I do," said the Doctor. "Slitheen urine is considered a delicacy on Raxacoricofallapatorius. Jack, Rose, and I tried some when we returned Blon, as an egg, back to her home planet."

"What did you think of it?"

"Well," said the Doctor, sipping a like-colored drink, "considering we were at their leader's house, we couldn't say much. But, I will say that it tasted a bit like rotted chicken with a snippet of turpentine."

Donna looked at her shepherd's pie. "Well, this certainly doesn't taste like _that_." She poked at it with her fork.

"Here, let me try some," said the Doctor. Without waiting for an answer, he scooped some of the pie onto his own fork, and promptly popped it in his mouth. "Not bad," he said through the mouthful of food. "Like you said, though, bit dry." Then, catching the look Donna was giving him, he said, "What?"

"Didn't your mother ever tell you to chew with your mouth _closed?_"

"Not really, no," replied the Doctor. He grinned and winked at Donna, who rolled her eyes in return.

"You are impossible, Doctor, you know that?"

The Doctor made a show of thinking hard, then replied. "Yes, I do." Which caused Donna to laugh. "Let me guess," said the Doctor, before Donna could respond. "I'm amazing, aren't I?"

Donna nodded while trying to sober herself. "You are," she said at last. "And full of it."

"Oi! I'll have you know that I'm not full of it… I'm just…"

"Not full of it?" Donna asked. The tone of her voice clearly said she didn't believe a word of what the Doctor was saying.

The Doctor nodded. "Precisely."

"Right."

"I'm glad you agree with me."

"Who said I agreed with you, Doctor?"

"Well, you did say "right"," the Doctor replied.

"I was being sarcastic, space man," said Donna, a bit impatiently.

The Doctor grinned to show that he had been kidding, which caused Donna to flick a morsel of food in his direction. The Doctor blocked it with his hand, and hit it back at her. The morsel landed in Donna's hair, so it took a while before she could extract it, and when she did, it went sailing back to the Doctor, and landed in his cup of water. The Doctor and Donna stared at it for a couple seconds, looked up at each other, then glanced at the students around them. A few of the students had been watching the entire exchange, and when they noticed they were being looked at, immediately turned their gazes back at their own plates.

"We should probably behave ourselves," said Donna. "We are professors, after all. We need to maintain a certain amount of respectability."

"Precisely what I was thinking," said the Doctor. He and Donna finished their meals without any further displays of immaturity, then exited the canteen and headed out into the night air. The walked back to the TARDIS and entered inside, where they would wait until everyone was asleep before going out once more to investigate.

o

It was nighttime at last. Donna and the Doctor had spent the hours after dinner whiling away the time by playing a Gallifreyan version of checkers and discussing various means of communicating with each other, even if they weren't in the same room. The Doctor said there was a way to speak, somewhat telepathically, with each other, but that it took a while to learn how to do. It had taken him almost fifty years to learn to do it. Upon hearing this, Donna became someone put-out, causing the Doctor to win the current checkers game.

"Bloody hell, I need to concentrate," Donna muttered.

The Doctor grinned at her. "That's what you get for not paying attention to the game." He scooped up the checkers and began arranging them back onto the board.

"Yeah, whatever, space man," Donna replied.

"Another game?"

"Why not?" said Donna. "How much time have we got before we start investigating?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Give it another three hours, at least," he said at last. "If I know students, and I do because I'm very clever, they'll stay up until about two o'clock studying and hanging out, then spend the next thirty minutes getting ready for bed."

"You sound like you know a lot about their habits, mister peeping-Tom."

"Oi! Now, Donna, you know perfectly well I wouldn't do anything of the sort," said the Doctor. "I just happen to be clever."

"I know that, dumbo, I was kidding."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and muttered something intelligible under his breath.

The next three hours passed by rather slowly, but nevertheless; they did end. So, it was with some foreboding mixed with curiosity on Donna's part, and positive excitement and giddiness on the Doctor's, that the game of checkers was put away.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you, Doctor?"

"Oh yes!" the Doctor replied with a childish grin. "You know me! I live for moments like this!"

With that, the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and bounded out into the night air, Donna following in his wake. The night was rather cold, and Donna shivered as she stepped outside. She glanced at the Doctor, who was bouncing up and down on the soles of his feet. He grinned once again. Donna shook her head in amusement and turned to close the TARDIS doors behind her, then walked forward toward the Doctor, who held his arm out. The two of them linked arms as they began to walk out of the small grove of trees, where they had parked the TARDIS since they had turned in their resumés not many days before. As the two walked past the administration building, they noticed that there was a light on in one of the upper-story windows.

"That's Cadger Ethyls's office," the Doctor pointed out.

"I wonder what he could be doing up at this time of night?"

They listened, and with their Time Lord hearing, which was finer-tuned than a human's, they heard slight noises coming from the office, noises that indicated someone was moving around.

"Oh, you have GOT to be _kidding _me!" said Donna, sounded revolted.

"What, what is it?" said the Doctor, turning to her.

"Remember what I told you about Cadger and Maxine?" Donna said. The Doctor looked at her, confused, so she added, "Imagine that, and what the source of those sounds might be."

A looking of dawning comprehension appeared on the Doctor's face and he, too, looked disgusted. "That is…just _wrong_." He paused. "Let's get moving, shall we?"

Donna readily agreed, and the two quickened their pace until they reached the front end of the administration building. The Doctor then turned to Donna and spoke, lowering his voice just in case.

"We should probably part and each investigate separately," he said. "I'll cover the administration building, canteen, and any other official buildings here. You can cover the area near and around the dormitories; there are plenty of them, so we'll have pretty much an equal area to cover."

Donna nodded. "Right, gotcha."

The Doctor held out his sonic screwdriver. "I've set this so that, if you're in distress and need me to come to you, all you have to do is click your sonic lipstick on and off three times, my screwdriver will direct me to wherever you are. Same goes for me and your sonic lipstick if I need you to come to me."

"Which you won't because you're very clever."

"Correct," said the Doctor. "Now, I also have these. I saved them from the year-that-never-was, back when I was traveling with Jack and Martha, and we battled the Master."

From his trenchcoat pocket, he pulled two chain necklaces; at the end of each was a key. "These are perception filters. Keys on a chain, with each containing a tidbit of the TARDIS attached. I made them so that Jack, Martha, and myself could move around undetected. They won't make us invisible, just unnoticed."

"It's pretty dark out, though," said Donna, taking her perception filter and placing it around her neck. "Will we really need them?"

"Probably not," said the Doctor, placing his own perception filter around his neck. "But still…it's better to be safe than sorry."

"True," said Donna.

"Anyway, enough of that," said the Doctor. He continued, in an excited voice. "You ready to investigate?"

"Oh, I'm ready," said Donna, with an air of gearing up for some event. "And only you could find something like this amusing."

The Doctor winked at her. "It's 2:45am right now. If nothing eventful happens, let's meet back here at a quarter til five. That should give us enough time to get back to the TARDIS before anyone sees what we're doing. And, we can then get some sleep. Lucky thing tomorrow's Saturday, eh?"

"Definitely," said Donna, nodding her head in agreement. "We wouldn't want anyone to suspect we're up to something."

"Absolutely," agreed the Doctor. He clapped his hands together and said, "Well, let's be off, then! Plenty of investigating to do and little time to do it!"

"Right, definitely," said Donna, also clapping her hands together. "You be careful, Doctor. And good luck!"

"Same to you, Donna." And with a cheerful wave, the Doctor turned and was out of sight, into the darkness, within a few seconds.

Donna watched the Doctor as he walked away, and as the darkness enveloped him, she turned and headed for the student dormitories. The path Donna was taking, the same one she and the Doctor had taken when questioning students about the disappearances, was fairly well-lit. Donna felt slightly exposed, as if any enemy who might be watching would be able to spot her easily and kidnap her. Nothing of the sort happened, however, and so Donna reached the dormitories without incident.

The night was quiet. The only thing Donna could hear was a cricket, chirping lonesomely in the bushes. She looked up, and saw a light on in one of the dormitory room windows. From the silhouettes she could see, Donna guessed that a few of the students were still partying, even at this late (or early) hour. Well, Donna didn't exactly blame them; after all, she herself had always liked a good party. One of the silhouettes appeared to be looking down, out the window, so Donna moved closer to the side of the building where she was obscured by the shadows.

Donna moved along the outer wall of the dormitory, taking care to stay out of the way of any light sources; this was an important mission, and she did not want anyone to see her and even slightly suspect that something was going on. Donna searched all around the dormitory, but could find nothing of significance; she moved onto the next dormitory, and found much of the same.

"Why does the Doctor get to do the administration-related buildings and not me?" Donna muttered to herself. "He'll probably be the one to find something, not me at the bleeding dorms." But Donna shook her head, realizing that she probably had a good chance of finding something too. It was just that, trouble seemed to find the Doctor wherever he went, and as such, his chances of finding something were probably greater. He just happened to be a natural magnet for that kind of thing. _I should count myself lucky, then._

An hour and a half passed by, and Donna still had not found a thing. She had searched around almost every dormitory could find, and by the end, she was seriously considering switching her sonic lipstick on and off, just so she could have something to do; but, she knew the Doctor would not appreciate it if she did that, so Donna restrained herself.

_An hour left…Maybe I'll have a quick go around the dormitories, just one more time._ She had taken her time on the first round, so Donna figured she could walk faster, quickly double-checking the buildings to make sure she had not missed anything.

A couple buildings had been double-inspected when Donna heard someone walking toward her; at least, that's what it appeared to be. Just to be on the safe side, Donna crouched down behind a semi-full trash bin, trying not to choke on the stench all the trash was giving out. She hid herself just in time; right after she crouched down, Donna noticed a lone female student walking toward the dormitory, a few books and notebook in one arm and on the other, a purse. She was about two hundred feet or so from where Donna was sitting, and as the student drew closer, Donna could see that the girl was talking to someone on a mobile.

"Yes, Mum, it's fine," the girl was saying. "Maxine and I were studying at a café down the road and lost track of time."

_Liar,_ thought Donna. _I know where Maxine is, but it's certainly not a café._

"Yes, it's perfectly safe, Mum. Nobody is going to kidnap me; I have my pepper spray handy. And that gun I got for Christmas."

_Ok…_ thought Donna, somewhat unsure.

"Ok, love you too, Mum," said the girl to her phone. "Good night!"

By now, the student was about 100 feet from Donna. She had just hung up her mobile and placed it back inside her purse when a shadow appeared; Donna glanced around, but saw no source. At first, she thought it was the Vashta Nerada, but something about this shadow seemed different. It was circular in nature, much like the moon… _the moon!_ Donna looked up at the sky and the moon, which before now had been shining brightly in the night sky, was partially obscured. _An eclipse?_ Donna thought… but no, that couldn't be it. Nothing in the news had indicated any kind of lunar eclipse. If there had, Donna knew there would be people outside, more than there was now, looking up and enjoying watching it happen.

Her gaze shifted back toward the shadow, which was steadily growing larger and larger; once it reached roughly six feet across (from what she could see, anyway), it stopped. Donna stared at it, waiting with bated breath. And then, it began to move, toward the student, who was completely unaware of anything wrong. Suddenly, Donna knew what would happen. Knew it, even though she dreaded it. Donna wanted to jump from her hiding place and warn the girl; but it was already too late. Before she could so much as move a muscle, the circular shadow had overtaken her.

Donna's breath caught in her throat as she watched. The student was suddenly stock-still, as though paralyzed, unable to move even a single muscle. Then there was the eerie scream, echoing all around, bouncing off of every obstacle; but somehow, this didn't deaden the sound. If anything, it made the sound stronger. The scream, which Donna now realized had come from the girl, ended on a surprisingly low pitch. As it did so, the girl began to dematerialize, in the same manner of something being teleported. Then, it was over. The girl was gone, as was the shadow, in an instant. And then, lights in the upper dormitory windows began to flick on as the sounds of frightened, panicked students reached Donna's ears.

Donna stood up and began moving as quickly as she dared away from the buildings, in the direction where she knew the Doctor must be; but she hadn't gone far when the circular shadow returned. It grew to the six feet in an instant, and this time, began moving toward Donna herself. She stood there, unable to move, nearly paralyzed with fear. The shadow drew closer, and Donna braced herself, readying for the moment when she, too, would be taken. She thought about the Doctor, and dreaded the thought of him worrying when he couldn't find her, panicking about where she might be. No, not just _the_ Doctor. _Her_ Doctor.

_My Doctor._

And then the shadow enveloped her.


	12. Davis McAllister

Thanks for the reviews, cheri1, DonnaLuvr, dreamcatcher386 and super-calisto!!!!!

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**Chapter 12: Davis McAllister**

oOo

_Donna stood up and began moving as quickly as she dared away from the buildings, in the direction where she knew the Doctor must be; but she hadn't gone far when the circular shadow returned. It grew to the six feet in an instant, and this time, began moving toward Donna herself. She stood there, unable to move, nearly paralyzed with fear. The shadow drew closer, and Donna braced herself, readying for the moment when she, too, would be taken. She thought about the Doctor, and dreaded the thought of him worrying when he couldn't find her, panicking about where she might be. No, not just _the _Doctor._ Her_ Doctor._

My Doctor.

_And then the shadow enveloped her._

oOo

The shadow lingered there for a moment and more, leaving Donna to stand there, waiting with bated breath. Then, for some reason, the shadow suddenly disappeared, leaving Donna in the same exact place. She stood there a moment, frightened, trying to get a grasp on what had just happened. She had almost been taken, but hadn't been! _Why?_ She supposed the perception filter might have had something to do with it, or maybe the shadow decided to give her a quick once-over before decided not to take her. Whatever the case, it was with shaky hands that Donna pulled out her sonic lipstick and quickly clicked it on and off three times.

Not wanting to wait around, and honestly not wanting to be by herself any longer, she began hurrying in the direction of the Doctor; at first walking quickly, then running. At last, the Doctor appeared, running in her direction. He stopped when they caught up with each other and took Donna into his arms in an attempt to help calm her.

"Shh, Donna, it's all right," said the Doctor soothingly. "It's all right."

"It isn't all right! That…_thing,_ shadow, or whatever it was…" Donna trailed off.

The Doctor placed his hands on Donna's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "What happened?"

Donna told him everything she had just witnessed: the student, the shadow taking her over, the poor girl dematerializing. Then, she described how the shadow had then come for her, but hadn't taken her and instead had disappeared.

"That would be due to the perception filter," said the Doctor. "I'm so glad I brought those with us."

"Yeah, same here," said Donna. She was beginning to calm down from the scare, but her hearts were still beating quite rapidly.

"Interesting about the dematerialization," the Doctor said. He gestured that he and Donna head back toward the TARDIS, which Donna did only too willingly.

"What do you mean?" said Donna.

"I mean that it's interesting," he repeated. "Obviously the shadow acts as some kind of teleportation device. But as for the scream that accompanies it…"

"What do you think causes it?"

"I think it comes from the person being taken," said the Doctor. "Obviously, the method whoever is causing all this to happen is somewhat painful, to say the least; some types of teleportation are, you know. It's rather crude; there are painless ways to be teleported, so whoever is doing this must want to cause the victim (for lack of a better word) some pain before they're taken."

"Have you ever teleported?" Donna asked.

"Yep," the Doctor replied. "I was with Jack and Martha; we teleported from Earth to the Valiant, to take on the Master, using Jack's vortex manipulator."

"How was it?"

"Painful," the Doctor grimaced. "It felt like I'd been run over and my head ripped apart."

"So, obviously, whoever is doing this is making is even more painful than that for people."

"I'd say so, yeah," said the Doctor. They reached the TARDIS and went inside.

"So what, or who, do you think is causing all this to happen?"

The Doctor rain his fingers through his hair and replied, "I'm sorry, Donna, but I don't know."

"Not even any tiny hints?"

"Nope." There was a slight pause. "What I suggest doing is this: we go to our rooms, have a nice good-night's sleep, then go teach out classes tomorrow. That should give us both enough time to calm down from what happened tonight."

Donna nodded. "Then what?"

"Then we can go over to Sarah Jane's house and talk with Mr. Smith," the Doctor replied. "I figured we could tell him what happened. And, if any new developments pop up tomorrow, we can run those by Mr. Smith as well, and get his take on it."

"Yeah, I like that idea," said Donna. The Doctor grinned, which prompted Donna to ask, "What the hell are you smiling about?"

"Oh, I was just thinking that if you had been taken, I could have rescued you like a knight in shining armor."

"Doctor!"

"What?"

Donna laughed. "I should've figured you'd make it into something like that."

"I was just trying to make you feel better," the Doctor replied innocently. "Did it work?"

"It might have." Donna smiled.

The Doctor grinned again. "Right," he said clapping his hands together. "We've got lots to do tomorrow, so we need our rest. To bed!"

And with that, he and Donna were off to their rooms for a restful slumber.

o

The very next day arrived and found Donna inside one of the many classrooms at Oxford University. She was currently lecturing about ancient Scottish myths (the Loch Ness monster among them), and had the class's utmost attention. Being the somewhat sarcastic person she was, Donna couldn't resist inputting some of her very own remarks, which caused much of the class to laugh out loud.

When the end of the class came, Donna dismissed the students. Almost immediately, they began talking and joking amongst themselves while they gathered up their things, and filed out of the room.

"Fred, could you come here for a minute?"

Fred Cullen was a tall kid with brown hair, and looked remarkably like the Doctor. Donna had noticed that he was one of the smartest students in the class. He almost always had some interesting insight into something Donna was saying, and also tended to notice little tidbits of information (or anything else, for that matter) that no one else seemed to notice; this had already been evidenced in an extra-credit paper he had written for the class.

As Fred moved toward Donna, the group of friends he had been with started wolf-whistling.

"Inappropriate," was all Donna said, giving them a somewhat dirty look. Fred's friends settled down at once.

"I'll see you, later, 'kay?" Fred said to his friends.

"Right, yeah, mate," they replied. "We'll see you at the canteen."

Fred waved goodbye to his friends and they departed, leaving Donna and Fred alone. Before she said anything, Donna poked her head out into the hallway to make sure no one was around; the coast was clear. Donna turned her attention back to Fred.

"What did you stick your head out there for?" Fred asked.

"I want to make sure no one can overhear us," said Donna. "And it's nothing dirty, either, so you can get that out of your head right now."

Fred looked somewhat surprised, for that was exactly what he had been thinking. He wondered if Donna could read minds, somehow, but pushed that thought from his head. Instead, he asked, "Why do you not want anyone to overhear us?"

"Because…" Donna hesitated. "You're the smartest person I've ever come across and you seem very intuitive. So I was curious… have you ever noticed anything odd about any member of the staff or faculty here? Especially since the disappearances?"

"Apart from you and that Doctor bloke?" asked Fred. "Because, no offense, I've noticed some pretty odd things about you two… like I did a search of where all the professors lived, and you two didn't pop up at all. I found an address for you in Chiswick, but the woman who answered the phone said you'd gone off somewhere."

"Oi! You don't go stalking people like that!"

Fred shrugged. "I wasn't stalking. I was just investigating. All these disappearances are pretty fishy, and when two even fishier professors showed up, I started asking questions."

"You planning to be a lawyer or something?"

"Detective," said Fred. "Like Sherlock."

Donna nodded. "More to the point…yes, I did mean apart from me and the Doctor."

Fred took a deep breath and placed his hands in his pockets. "Well," he said, thinking about how he was going to word things, "there has been this one man, he's sort of squat, who's been hanging around the Chancellor's office a lot. I've been up to see Ethyl's a few times…I'm the valedictorian of my class, so I needed to see him about a speech I have to make at the graduation."

"And you saw this squat man up there every time?" Donna asked.

"Not every time," said Fred. "But a lot of the time. I've also been seeing him walking around campus a lot, although I have no idea why. I've looked into the university records and he has no ties whatsoever to this university."

"Do you know his name?"

"No."

"Then how did you find out he had no ties to Oxford?"

Fred shrugged. "I have my ways," he said simply. "Anyway, before the disappearances starts, I only saw him once or twice. Now I see him all the time."

"Interesting," said Donna. She knew the Doctor would quite like Fred Cullen.

"Is there anything else?" Fred asked.

Donna shook her head. "No, you can go, if you want. Thanks for answering my question, Fred."

"No problem!" Fred gave Donna a cheery farewell, much like the Doctor sometimes did, and left the classroom.

Donna sat there, alone in the room, for a few more minutes. Then, realizing the time, gathered up her own things and left the room. She headed toward the Doctor's classroom rather quickly, because she wanted to tell him what she had just learned from Fred. Donna reached the Doctor was just as his class was ending.

"Donna!" Greeted the Doctor. "How go things?"

"Same old, same old. I taught a few things, learned a few things." Donna placed an emphasis on the word _learned_ and gave the Doctor a significant look. The Doctor gave a nod to indicate he had caught the hint.

Students then began filing out of the classroom, so Donna stood by the door and waited for a break in the stream of people who were discussing the most recent disappearance in hushed tones. Maxine, who was among the students, was texting someone on her mobile. When she saw Donna waiting by the door, she stood aside to let Donna pass, and then hurried out of the room and away down the hall. Donna watched Maxine's retreating back before entering into the room fully.

"Did you really have to blackmail her into being a better student?" Donna asked the Doctor in a low voice. As Maxine was passing her, Donna had gotten the feeling that Maxine was somewhat fearful, yet also determined to do something nevertheless. Donna only hoped that it didn't have anything to do with her and Cadger, although she could be wrong.

"Yes, I did," said the Doctor in an equally low tone. "She was doing something against university policy. And I didn't blackmail her. I just encouraged her to get back on the right path."

"Would I be correct in guessing that you'd prefer it if I dropped the subject?"

"Possibly," the Doctor replied, but Donna could tell that he meant it as a 'yes.'

A student approached the Doctor with a question about an assigned paper due the next week, and the two spent several minutes discussing it. Once the conversation was over, however, and the student had exited, Donna and the Doctor were left alone.

The Doctor adopted a mock-professional tone, adjusted his glasses, and sat lightly down on a desk. "Now what is this interesting thing you learned in class today, Ms. Noble?"

Donna stared at him for a moment until the Doctor gave her one of his signature wide grins.

"It has to do with the disappearances," said Donna. The Doctor sobered up immediately. "There's this kid in my class, Fred Cullen. You'd like him; he's very gifted. Reminds me a bit of you, actually."

The Doctor nodded. "I have him in one of my earlier classes; you're right, he is a smart kid. He'd be a good companion to travel with in the TARDIS."

"More to the point, Doctor," said Donna a bit impatiently.

"Right, sorry."

"Anyway, this kid, Fred, noticed something about the man on the mobile from a few days ago," said Donna. "The same one from the fashion agency."

The Doctor perked up, interested. "Yeah? What did he say?"

"He told me that he's seen that man around here several times in the past, but that he doesn't teach here. From what I could gather, Fred hacked into the main computer system for the university and tried to look up this man's profile, but couldn't find a thing." Donna paused for a moment, then continued. "Fred said that, before everything happened, he only saw the man a couple times; but now, ever since the disappearances, that same man has been seem much more often."

The Doctor was silent for a few moments, deep in thought. When he spoke at last, he said, "Well, that rules out my theory of him teaching here."

Donna looked at him incredulously. "Is that it? Is that all you've got to say? "That rules out my theory." I give you an important bit of news, and all you do is think in your space man brain "that rules out my theory"?"

"Now, Donna, hold on for just a moment," said the Doctor. "I hadn't finished speaking yet." He paused and, when Donna said nothing, he continued, "You saw that man at the fashion agency, speaking to your boss, Clyde."

Donna nodded. "That's right."

"And he's been seen here a couple time before people started disappearing, yet after, he's been seen a lot more."

Donna wondered where the Doctor was going with this. "What do you-"

But the Doctor suddenly jumped up, as if he'd had an epiphany, with a look of revelation on his face. "Oh!" He drew it out. "I've been so stupid! So thickedy-thick-thick! We both have!!"

"Excuse me?" said Donna indignantly.

"Donna, don't you see? It's all connected!" The Doctor excitedly paced back on forth. "That man was seen rarely, if at all, before the disappearances. Yet as soon as they start, he pops up as often Daleks in a television series about my life!"

"What?" said Donna, confused. She sat down in a vacated desk chair.

"It's an expression I made up just now," said the Doctor dismissively, waving his hand in like manner. He continued his train of thought, "So that happens, and the same man is seen, by you, at the fashion agency. He's chatting up your boss, and you hadn't seen him around much, had you?"

Donna shook her head. "No."

"He chats up your boss, and we then learn he's been paying visits to Cadger Ethyls as well. The same man, visiting two different people, yet it's during a time of fear and suspicion. Now, normally I wouldn't think much of it, but under the circumstances, things change." The Doctor, still pacing, ran his fingers through his hair. He then repeated, as if to himself, "This man visits Cadger, then once the disappearances start, visits Cadger more and more often. He then pays a visit to Clyde, your boss. He's not too friendly, either."

"So it's connected."

"Exactly, Donna! It's all connected!"

"But how?"

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair once more, only this time in frustration. "I'm not sure, but I know now, for a fact, that it has something to do with that man who visited your boss and visits Ethyls. This man, whoever he is, is the key."

Donna leaned forward. "So what do we do? Do we go to Mr. Smith?"

"Correctemundo!" said the Doctor, then added to himself, "I swore to myself I wouldn't use that word again."

Donna stood up and said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go, space man!"

"Let's!"

Donna and the Doctor hurried out of the room and past straggling students, who stared at the two as they rushed by, chatting excitedly. As soon as they had left the building, Donna and the Doctor broke out into a near run in the direction of the TARDIS, ignoring the stares and comments of nearby students. The two did not chat as they ran; they just concentrated on their destination and, once they reached the TARDIS, closed the doors and hurried up to the console.

"Ready?" said the Doctor.

"Do you even have to ask?"

Grinning, the Doctor twiddled a few dials and turn a few knobs, and the TARDIS dematerialized from the grounds of Oxford.

o

Sarah Jane was just sitting down to have a cup of tea. Luke, Rani, and Clyde were at school, so the house was empty and quiet except for herself. She had a magazine about UFOs that she wanted to peruse, and was rather looking forward to it. Not that the UFO magazine was a reputable source; quite the contrary. The magazine was full of all kinds of nonsense and tabloid material, but Sarah Jane did like to flip through it for she occasionally found something of importance; of course, that something was laughed at by everyone else for being a hoax, but Sarah Jane knew better. Aliens and UFO's really did exist, and this magazine sometimes offered some valuable clues to a case she was investigating.

It was in this quiet manner that Sarah Jane was relaxing, and rather enjoying herself, then a familiar wheezing noise sounded from the attic. Sarah Jane put down the tea and magazine at once and dashed up the stairs to the attic, where the familiar blue police box that was the TARDIS greeted her.

The TARDIS door opened and Donna and the Doctor tumbled out, each with excited yet urgent looks on their faces.

Sarah Jane stared at them and asked, "What happened? What is it?"

Neither Donna nor the Doctor responded. Instead, they turned to the wall, in which Mr. Smith was hidden; the Doctor said, "Mr. Smith, I need you!"

As Mr. Smith was opening up, Donna turned to Sarah Jane and explained what was going on.

"We found out something new, possibly, regarding the disappearances," Donna told Sarah Jane.

"What did you find?"

"You'll find out if you two both be quiet and let me speak to Mr. Smith," said the Doctor. Donna and Sarah Jane fell silent.

"Greetings, Doctor," said Mr. Smith. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"No one in particular," said the Doctor, then stopped himself. "Well, a student at Oxford. But anyway…"

"Would I be correct in guessing that you have a new clue regarding the disappearances at Oxford University?"

"Yes, you would be," said the Doctor. "A student in Donna's class was asked by her after everyone had left the room if he had noticed anything odd going on, considering the disappearances."

"That's right, I asked him," said Donna. And she told Mr. Smith everything that Fred had told her and that she had repeated in turn to the Doctor.

"Hm, that is very interesting," said Mr. Smith in a tone that suggested he was deep in thought (if computer can be said to think, that is).

"I was hoping you could trace this guy's spacial earthnetic homosapien genetical residue from the places he was seen, and then use that residue sampling to search your galactic database to find out who this guy is."

"I can do that for you, if you wish it," said Mr. Smith.

The Doctor replied, harried, "Yes, that is what I came here for, you know."

"Patience, young one."

"_Young_ one? I'm over nine hundred years old!"

"And I have been around longer than you might think, Doctor," replied Mr. Smith. "So it might behoove you to respect your elders."

"Oi!" The Doctor was about to protest further but threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Oh, what's the point?" He sighed. "Just search for the bloke, will you?"

"I am in the process, Doctor," Mr. Smith replied. "Now just wait for a few minutes with your beloved."

"Oi!" This time, the protest came from Donna.

Mr. Smith sensed what she was about to say, and so intervened. "I may be a Xylok crystal acting as someone's computer, but that in no way means I'm stupid regarding human or in your case, Time Lord, relationships. Now hush."

Donna muttered something under her breath that sounded something like "stupid computer."

"That's Xylok, Lady of Gallifrey. Now be quiet or I'll malfunction on purpose."

"Yeah, whatever," said Donna under her breath. She glanced at the Doctor and caught him grinning at her. "What are you staring at, space boy?"

"Nothing," said the Doctor. He whistled innocently.

After a moment spent in silence, Sarah Jane asked the Doctor, "Mr. Smith said "beloved," Doctor."

The Doctor glanced at Sarah Jane. "Yes, he did," he said simply.

"Why? Is there something going on between you and Donna?"

The Doctor sighed and told Sarah Jane about the progressing relationship, albeit slowly, between himself and Donna. "Now please, don't start fighting, you two. I can't stand it when people fight."

"Who said we were going to fight?"

"I did, Donna. Or at least, I suggested it."

"Well, you suggested wrong, then, didn't you?" said Sarah Jane.

"Don't gang up on me either," said the Doctor. "I'd rather you fight than do that."

"That can be arranged," said Donna jokingly. The Doctor rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Mr. Smith.

"I have finished scanning for the traces of spacial earthnetic homosapien genetical residue, Doctor."

"Brilliant!" The Doctor said cheerfully. "What did you find?"

"After scanning through the entire earthal galactic database," said Mr. Smith, "I have found one possible match, indicating who the man you're looking for is."

"Who is he, then?" said Donna impatiently. "Spit it out, crystal boy."

"I'll spit crystals at _you_, if you don't show your elders more respect," Mr. Smith replied.

"Right, sorry," said Donna. She adopted a less impatient tone and repeated, "Who did you find out it is?"

"A man by the name of Davis McAllister," said Mr. Smith. "He's not alien, though; he's human, although for a human to have as strong of a genetical residue as he's got is rather suspicious."

"Of course," said the Doctor in a tone of realization. "To have as strong a residue as that, he's got to have been on some kind of alien spacecraft, or at least some kind of contact with aliens."

"That is correct," said Mr. Smith. "Any human being who comes into contact with someone of an alien race has traces spacial earthnetic homosapien genetical reside-"

"-But to have it as strongly as he does, he'd have to have had more than just contact with aliense," said the Doctor. "He'd have to actually have visited an alien space craft. Now, Sarah Jane and any other human who has traveled with me on the TARDIS has a strong residue like that. And normally, I wouldn't think much of Davis McAllister having as strong a residue trace as he does-"

"-Although, since you already found him suspicious before now, under the current circumstances, what with the disappearances and everything else-"

"-that makes him a prime suspect!" The Doctor punched the air in elation. "Mr. Smith, you're brilliant!"

"Thank you, Doctor," said Mr. Smith. "And you don't often say that because you yourself are very clever."

"That's right," said the Doctor.

"So that means we can go clobber this Davis guy, yeah?" Donna asked.

"Not quite," said the Doctor.

"What do you mean?" asked Sarah Jane.

"Doctor," said Mr. Smith, but he was ignored.

"I mean that we can't go clobber McAllister until we do some more investigating," said the Doctor seriously. "Don't get me wrong, I want to get this guy as much as you do, but we can't; at least not right now. First, we need to find out more about what he's doing with the people who've been taken. We need to find a more concrete link between McAllister and the disappearances because, right now, all we've got is suspicion. All McAllister is, well, he's a prime suspect. So that mean's he's for sure connected to what's been going on. We just need to find out what that connection is and find some evidence for it."

"Doctor," came Mr. Smith's voice once again, but no one paid him any mind.

"And _then_ can we clobber him?" asked Donna.

"Yes," said the Doctor.

"Doctor," said Sarah Jane, "I think Mr. Smith is trying to get your attention."

The Doctor turned toward Mr. Smith, wondering what it could be. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," Mr. Smith replied.

"Well, what is it?"

"There's been another disappearance."


	13. Loose Ends Connected

Thanks for the reviews, dreamcatcher386, and DonnaLuvr!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 13: Loose Ends Connected**

oOo

"_Doctor," came Mr. Smith's voice once again, but no one paid him any mind._

"_And then can we clobber him?" asked Donna._

"_Yes," said the Doctor. _

"_Doctor," said Sarah Jane, "I think Mr. Smith is trying to get your attention."_

_The Doctor turned toward Mr. Smith, wondering what it could be. "Oh, really?"_

"_Yes, really," Mr. Smith replied._

"_Well, what is it?"_

"_There's been another disappearance."_

oOo

"A…_what!?_"

"Another disappearance, Doctor," Mr. Smith repeated.

"But how?" said Donna, lost for words.

"I'd imagine the same method as all the others," said the Doctor. He asked Mr. Smith, "Who was taken?"

"A student by the name of Fred Cullen."

Donna gasped, causing the Doctor and Sarah Jane to look at her. "Fred Cullen...but he was one of my students! I spoke to him only an hour ago! He's the one who told me about Davis."

"He might have been taken because of that," said Sarah Jane.

"Exactly what I was thinking," said the Doctor. "But how would whoever is taking these people know what Fred told you, Donna?"

Donna shrugged. "Dunno," she said. "But from the way they take people, I'm guessing they would have a way to listen in to intended victims."

"But you were an intended victim, too," said the Doctor, with realization. "Only they couldn't find you because you had the perception filter on." He quickly explained to Sarah Jane about what had happened.

"Doesn't that mean they could be listening in right now?" said Sarah Jane.

"Possibly," said the Doctor. He turned to Sarah Jane, "Look, I know you're worried. But you have Mr. Smith; so as long as you stay in this house, he can protect you from any danger."

"That, I can," said Mr. Smith. Sarah Jane nodded.

"Anyway, the thought of whoever it is listening in is alarming, and we'll get to that matter in just a moment," said the Doctor.

"Why?"

"Because we will," the Doctor replied quickly. "First, there's something I need to know. Mr. Smith?"

"Yes, Doctor?"

The Doctor told Mr. Smith what Donna had said about the disappearances; about how, whenever one happened, there was the shadow, the eerie echoing scream, then the dematerialization and disappearance of the shadow. He explained it all in detail, with help from Donna, and said, "Now, Mr. Smith, what I want you do to is this: take the residue information from where Donna witnessed the abduction and from the place where that Cullen kid was taken and then, connect that with the spacial earthnetic homosapien genetical residue from Davis. Once you've done that, I want you to see if you can find any other matches of that same residual information at Oxford."

"But didn't you already do something like that earlier, Doctor?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Yes, but that was just from the residue left over from the disappearances," the Doctor replied. "This time, we have the residue from Davis as well. So the search results we get back should be more complete."

Sarah Jane nodded. "Right."

The Doctor turned back to the computer. "Mr. Smith, can you get on that?"

"Scanning for disappearance and spacial residues now, Doctor," came Mr. Smith's reply.

"Excellent," said the Doctor, clapping his hands together.

The Doctor and Sarah Jane were discussing the days when he, the Doctor, had been in his third and fourth incarnations, and when Sarah Jane had traveled with him. Donna listened with a mixture between curiosity, fascination, and amusement to the conversation, and laughed out loud when the Doctor mentioned some of the antics he had gotten up to back in the early days. In any case, it was much to the Doctor's interest (as well as Donna's and Sarah Jane's) when Mr. Smith announced to everyone present that, as the situation stood, there were several matches of the residues.

"Excellent!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"You are welcome, Doctor," said Mr. Smith. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, there is," the Doctor replied. He glanced at Donna, then said, "When I let myself into Cadger Ethyl's office not too long ago, I picked up some kind of signal, which led me to the fashion agency. Could you check the fashion agency where Donna was temping, more specifically the third floor, and see if it matches the signals, residues, or however you want to put it, at Oxford as a whole?"

Mr. Smith did so, and soon reported back that everything did, indeed match. The Doctor didn't suspect Cadger too much of anything (except when it came to shagging students); however, Davis McAllister was now cemented in his, as well as Donna's, mind as a definite suspect. It was the Doctor's belief that the only reason the signal was found at both Cadger's office and the fashion agency was because Davis had, of course, visited both locations: Oxford, to visit Cadger Ethyls, and the agency, to visit Donna's boss, Clyde Hasgert.

"All in all, very intriguing," said Sarah Jane. Mr. Smith had finished speaking and the Doctor, who had listened to every word intently, was going over what had been said in his mind.

"Indeed," said Donna. She watched the Doctor as he pondered over the information. "Doctor?"

The Doctor was caught off guard. "Hm? What?"

"Not very often I can do that," said Donna, with a laugh. "It's intriguing, though, what Mr. Smith said."

"Oh, I agree," said the Doctor. He scratched his chin. "Now, if only we could trace all those signals to a source-"

"Mr. Smith, could you trace all the signals and such to a source of any kind?" Donna asked.

"I was about to ask him that myself," said the Doctor.

"I know," said Donna. "But you've already asked him enough questions; I wanted to get in one of my own, time boy."

The Doctor rolled his eyes while Mr. Smith went to work. It was a few minutes before the results came back; while they waited, Donna, the Doctor, and Sarah Jane reminisced about the old days of traveling with the Doctor and fighting aliens. Once Mr. Smith was finished, however, the Doctor immediately gave his attention to him, as did the other two.

"What did you find?" Donna asked. She said it in the sort of tone that indicated the one speaking was both afraid of what they might hear, yet also curious to know the answer despite what the answer might be.

"A space ship," said Mr. Smith simply.

"It's always a space ship," Donna muttered under her breath.

"Now, Donna, be nice; Mr. Smith is doing us a huge favor," the Doctor replied. To Mr. Smith he said, rather impatiently, "And?"

"It is hidden from view by a cloaking device," said Mr. Smith.

"The same kind of cloaking device Jack used for his ship, back during the blitz," said the Doctor.

"Precisely," Mr. Smith replied.

"But how do you know about?" the Doctor asked. "That was sixty years ago."

"I have my ways," Mr. Smith said vaguely. "Now, this ship… it's situated directly above Oxford University. I checked if it had any residual movements, to see if it has, perhaps, changed position at all within the past few weeks."

"Has it?"

"No, it has not."

"Ok," said the Doctor. He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end, and turned to Donna. "So we have a prime suspect. We also know where the people who have been taken are. The question now is, what are we going to do about it? How are we going to get those people back, get Davis to pay for what he has done, and solve this case once and for all?" There was a few moments of silence.

"Maybe we should go downstairs and discuss this?" said Sarah Jane.

"Excellent suggestion," said the Doctor. To Mr. Smith, he said, "Thank you, that's all we need for now. But if something else comes along, Donna and I will go to you."

"My pleasure, Doctor."

As Mr. Smith folded, if computer can be said to fold, back into the wall, Donna and the Doctor and followed Sarah Jane downstairs. Once they entered the kitchen, Donna and the Doctor sat down next to each other, at the table, while Sarah Jane went about making the three of them some tea.

"So what should we do about this, Doctor?" Donna asked.

"You should think of something soon," said Sarah Jane. "I don't want any more people getting taken if it can be helped."

"No; neither do I," said the Doctor. "Thank you, by the way." For Sarah Jane had just handed him and Donna cups of tea.

"You're welcome," she replied, sipping some tea from her own cup.

The Doctor placed his arm around Donna's shoulder, and the three began discussion what to do about the situation. They had not gotten far when Luke, Clyde, and Rani came in and made their way into the kitchen. They stopped when they saw Donna and the Doctor; Rani smirked knowingly at them, while Clyde grinned mischievously.

"Hello, you two," Clyde said. He began whistling to the tune of an old song and sang under his breath, _"Going to the chapel and we're…gonna get maaaaaried…"_

"Oi!" The Doctor piped indignantly. "Kids these days!" He looked at Sarah Jane and Donna, both of who were laughing at the Doctor's distress. They stopped almost immediately and instead opted to grin

"All right, you three," said Sarah Jane to the kids. "No need to tease the poor man."

"Definitely not," said Donna. "I don't think he knows how to handle it."

"OI!"

"I'm just kidding, space man," said Donna with a laugh.

"Sorry, Doctor," said Clyde.

"Apology accepted," said the Doctor. "At least _someone_ knows how to give an apology." Then, "_Ouch!_ What is it with the hitting?" For Donna had smacked his shoulder.

"Sorry, Doctor," said Donna, smiling sweetly while Clyde, Rani, and Luke laughed.

"Run along now, the three of you," said Sarah Jane, putting a stop to the interaction. "Donna, the Doctor and I have some important matters to discuss."

"Can't we help?" Luke asked.

"No," said the Doctor. "Maybe some other time, but not now."

"So run along; I'll come get you when it's time for dinner," said Sarah Jane.

"Ok, see you later," said Luke. He waved good-bye to the Doctor and Donna, then could be heard running upstairs to the attic, Clyde and Rani close behind him.

Once they were gone and Donna, the Doctor, and Sarah Jane were alone, there was silence for a moment in the kitchen, during which each sipped their tea. Then, discussion of what to do now about the disappearance, of what kind of action should be taken, resumed.

oOo

Reviews make a writer happy and more motivated to write; so please review, my awesome readers! :-)


	14. The Day Before

Thanks for the reviews, dreamcatcher386 and DonnaLuvr!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 14: The Day Before**

oOo

"_Can't we help?" Luke asked._

"_No," said the Doctor. "Maybe some other time, but not now."_

"_So run along; I'll come get you when it's time for dinner," said Sarah Jane._

"_Ok, see you later," said Luke. He waved good-bye to the Doctor and Donna, then could be heard running upstairs to the attic, Clyde and Rani close behind him._

_Once they were gone and Donna, the Doctor, and Sarah Jane were alone, there was silence for a moment in the kitchen, during which each sipped their tea. Then, discussion of what to do now about the disappearance, of what kind of action should be taken, resumed._

oOo

"Couldn't you make a robot somehow that looks human, then send _that_ up?" Donna asked. Even as she said it, she knew what the answer would be; it was confirmed when the Doctor spoke.

"No," he replied. "As clever as I am, I don't know how to make a robot that looks human; I know of a planet or two where we could have one made, but that would take more time than we can afford. Besides, whoever is operating that ship, even if it's Davis himself, would know right away that it was a robot. Since they've taken nobody but humans, that must mean they want exclusively people for whatever it is they've been kidnapping for."

The sounds of Luke and Clyde messing around upstairs could be heard. Rani's voice could be heard as well; even though it was unintelligible, it was clear she was telling the other two to stop and behave themselves.

"Sounds like they're wrestling," said Donna, looking up at the ceiling.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Sarah Jane got up from her chair. "I should tell them to keep it down," she said. She began heading for the stairs, but the Doctor stopped her.

"No, you don't have to," he said. "I don't mind them."

"But what if they hurt each other?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Kids will be kids," the Doctor replied. "And if they do hurt each other, they can deal with whatever consequences come their way." Sarah Jane looked unconvinced. "Look, it's fine," the Doctor continued. "If they get anymore noisy, I can deal with them."

Right then, a loud _thud_ was heard from overhead. Sarah Jane looked the Doctor in the eye and raised an eyebrow.

"You were saying?"

Sighing, the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the ceiling. He clicked it on; suddenly the noises from Luke and Clyde messing around ceased. There was silence, then the sounds of two boys swearing. The Doctor grinned to himself and placed the screwdriver back into his pocket.

"Doctor, what did you do?" Donna asked, as Sarah Jane sat back down.

"I broke up the wrestling match," he replied simply.

"But how?"

"With my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor replied obviously.

"Yeah, don't get smart alecky with me, space man," said Donna.

"Sorry," said the Doctor. He straightened up in his chair and adjusted his glasses before saying, "Every person in the universe has a natural magnetic field. If you get a magnification strong enough, humans themselves will be literally pulled toward the source whether they want to be or not. So, I multiplied the magnification of the metal in the computer, Mr. Smith, to such a high degree as to make that happen. Only, I isolated the magnetic fields in Luke and Clyde so that only they would be pulled toward the source and Rani would remain safe and sound where she was."

"So where are Luke and Clyde?" asked Sarah Jane.

"Currently being held by a high magnetic power to Mr. Smith," the Doctor replied. He saw the look on Sarah Jane's face and added, "Oh, don't worry; it's not permanent. The magnetic field should be weakened in fifteen minutes, enough, at least, to allow Luke and Clyde to break free."

"Bit harsh?" said Donna questioningly.

"Eh…" the Doctor tilted his head. "Maybe."

There was a pause, during which Donna, the Doctor, and Sarah Jane listened to what was going on in the attic. Luke's and Clyde's voices could be heard; it seemed as though they were asking Rani for some kind of help, but apparently she was as lost as they were.

"Anyway," said Donna after a moment, "shall we get a move on?"

"Move on?" The Doctor looked confused. "Move on to where?" Donna tilted her head and gave him a look. "Ah," said the Doctor.

"Finally came to you, eh, space man?"

"Yep," the Doctor replied. He clapped his hands together and leaned forward, placing both elbows on the table. He linked his fingers together so that they provided a resting place for his chin. "So," he said. "What to do…"

"Well," said Donna.

"Yes?" said the Doctor, gazing at her.

"I know this might sound completely mad, but…" Donna paused.

"But what?" said the Doctor.

"Well, I mean, there's probably no other way we're going to find out what's really going on unless we sort of… do it undercover."

The Doctor lifted his head slightly and looked at Donna with dawning comprehension. "Are you suggesting…?"

"That we put ourselves in the position to be taken, yeah," said Donna. "I figured it might be easy enough, I suppose, since that shadow space-ship thing tried to take me, but couldn't because of the perception filter. So if I put myself out there again, maybe even at that same spot-"

"-But without the perception filter, you'd be easier to find," finished the Doctor.

"Yeah," said Donna. "And you could be there with me, too."

"And be taken, right along with you," said the Doctor.

"Right," Donna replied, nodding.

The Doctor stared at her a moment more, then a broad grin began creeping its way onto his face. "Donna Noble, you're brilliant!!" And he hopped up from his chair, went over to Donna, and swept her up in a big hug. After giving her a quick kiss, he set her back down.

"Oi, I'm not some pet cat that neede to be set back down after being patted!"

"Sorry," said the Doctor immediately. "But Donna, you are absolutely brilliant! I can't believe I didn't think of that, and I'm very clever, so that's saying something!"

Donna smiled, then pointed at herself and said, "Donna Noble, supertemp."

"Indeed," said the Doctor appreciatively.

"But how are you two going to do this?" Sarah Jane said. "You'll have to figure out where, when, all that."

"You're right," said the Doctor, sitting back down. "Well, Donna, you already said the where."

"I did?"

"Yeah, you said maybe if you put yourself and myself out there, at the same spot."

"Oh, yeah," said Donna. "So we go back to Oxford at night and place ourselves behind the trash bin by the dormitory. But when?"

"If I might suggest…" Sarah Jane began.

The Doctor nodded at her. "Yes, go on."

"Since this is all extremely important, I think you should do it as soon as possible," said Sarah Jane.

"As in tomorrow?" the Doctor replied. Sarah Jane nodded, and the Doctor looked at Donna. "What do you think?"

Donna hesitated slightly, then said, "I think we should. We should do it around the same time I was almost taken, too, so as to have a better chance."

"Excellent!" the Doctor replied. "Great thinking, Donna."

Donna grinned. "Is there anything else we should think up?"

The Doctor pondered this for a moment. "No," he said at last. "We've pretty much settled it. All we have to do is wait til tomorrow. Or…"

"What, Doctor?" said Sarah Jane.

"Donna and I could just use the TARDIS and go forward in time to tomorrow."

"No way am I doing that," said Donna immediately. "I want some time to rest and relax before we go on any kind of mission, or whatever."

"Well, that settles it," said the Doctor. "Rest and relaxation it is. But what shall we do in the meantime, eh?"

"Do I really have to answer that?" said Donna. "I thought the point was to rest and relax?"

"That's true," said the Doctor. "But first, we have to define the manner of our resting and relaxing. Then we can move on to the actual rest and relaxation itself, whatever it turns out to be. And then-"

"Oh, I know," said Donna, in a somewhat sarcastic manner. "And then we can actually rest and relax. Am I right?"

"Exactly," said the Doctor with a nod of the head. He paused. "Wait a minute… were you mocking me?"

"Why ever would I do something like that?" Donna said unconvincingly.

"You were mocking me."

"No I wasn't."

"Yes you weeeeere."

"No, I waaaaasn't."

The Doctor grinned. "Liar."

"Oh, fine, have it your way, space man," said Donna, flipping some hair over her shoulder.

"I will, thank you," the Doctor replied. He checked the clock hanging above the sink. "Well, if you can get yourself ready in about an hour, I know of a posh restaurant in London I'd like to take you to."

"That would be lovely," said Donna. "Should I dress up fancy?"

"Being that it's a posh restaurant, I would say yes," replied the Doctor. He glanced at Sarah Jane and added, "You can come too, if you want."

"I'd love to Doctor, but I've got Luke and his friends to look after," Sarah Jane said. "Thank you for asking, though."

"No problem," said the Doctor. "Well, Donna, shall we go get ready?"

"Of course," Donna replied, getting up. The Doctor got up as well; together, the two of them exited the kitchen and headed to the attic, leaving Sarah Jane to her thoughts.

"Will Luke and Clyde be free when we get up there?" Donna asked as the two went up the stairs.

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Nearly," he replied. "They've got about five minutes to go."

"They're probably not going to be too happy when they see you."

"Probably not," the Doctor said. "But if they try to get at me or you, I'll just increase the magneticity so they'll have to wait fifteen more minutes."

Donna shook her head at this and said nothing. She and the Doctor reached the attic to find Rani trying, apparently, to pry Luke and Clyde loose.

"Won't work, Rani," said the Doctor, holding up his sonic screwdriver.

Rani looked round and took note of him and Donna. "Did you do this?"

The Doctor nodded.

"I _knew_ it was him! I kept telling you!"

"I know, Luke," said Clyde. "Don't rub it in."

"Sorry," said Luke.

"That's right," said the Doctor. "It was me. Now, you two have about five minutes before you'll be able to break free; but I'm warning you, any mischief, and I'll have you magnetized to the wall for another fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Clyde.

Luke said nothing for a moment or two, then asked, "Will we be able to bargain with Mr. Smith to let us free?"

"No." This time, it was Donna who spoke. "Mr. Smith knows an authority when he sees one, and the Doctor is it. Sorry, you two."

Luke and Clyde groaned. Rani laughed at them.

"Why are _you_ laughing, Rani? Are you in league with them?"

Rani shook her head. "No, Luke, I'm not." She turned to Donna and the Doctor. "Are you two leaving in the TARDIS?"

"Not yet," said the Doctor. "I figured Donna and I needed a little rest and relaxation before embarking on the next part of this mission…quest…journey…whatever you want to call it."

"He and I are going to a posh restaurant in London," said Donna.

"In your TARDIS?" said Luke.

Donna shook her head. "No."

"Then how will you get there?"

"I have a car," said the Doctor.

"Doctor, that thing is seventy years old, at least. And how will you get it out of the TARDIS and out of the house?" Donna asked.

The Doctor, on the verge of replying, paused for a moment before saying, "Ah. Fair point, Donna. Well, in that case, I guess we can always call a taxi…or borrow Sarah Jane's car." He went to the attic's entrance and called down the stairs, asking Sarah Jane if he and Donna could borrow the car. Sarah Jane said that they could.

"Well, that's good then, isn't it?" said Donna as the Doctor came back over to her.

"It is," he replied. "Shall we get ready?"

"Yes, let's," said Donna. She and the Doctor waved a momentary good-bye to Rani, Luke, and Clyde, and stepped into the TARDIS.

Dona walked to her room and entered the closet. She was surprised to find that it lead to the room with all the women's clothes she had been in not long before, right after she had been turned into a Time Lady.

"Where are the dresses?" she muttered to herself. Almost right after she said it, Donna found herself in front of a rack of all kind of different, and beautiful, dresses. She looked up at the ceiling. _This ship really is alive, then, isn't it?_ She felt a confirmation, which more than likely came from the TARDIS itself.

After picking out a dress she liked, Donna put it on and looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her room. She was wearing a dark blue dress with only one shoulder strap; the dress rippled softly around her as she walked, and elegantly accentuated her figure. At the moment, Donna had her hair in a pony-tail, but she took that out and let her ginger hair cascade down to her shoulders. She turn to the side to get a different view of herself and found that, when the light hit it just right, the dress seemed to shimmer. She then put on some gold bracelets she had found on an earlier foray in the TARDIS, along with some gold and pearl earrings.

_Oh yeah, definitely like this,_ Donna thought to herself.

She gazed at her reflection a moment longer, then exited the room. She walked down the hallway and into the console room where the Doctor was to be found, sitting in the seat by the console and reading a book. When he saw her, the Doctor closed the book and placed it beside him; he stood up and stared at her.

"Donna, you look…"

"I look what?"

"You look…_good,_" said the Doctor. "I mean, if you were human, I'd say you look good for a human."

"What's that supposed to mean then?" Donna asked, sounding none too pleased.

"No no no! I didn't mean it like that!" said the Doctor hurriedly. "I meant that, even for a Gallifreyen, you look good; and that's saying something."

"Really?" Donna smiled. "Don't you mean good looking for an Earth/honorary Gallifreyan hybrid girl?"

"Well," the Doctor said, tilting his head somewhat, "I guess-"

"Oh, let's get a move-on then, space man," said Donna.

"You're wish is my command."

"So many ways to interpret that."

"Oi!"

"I was kidding, Doctor," said Donna. "Sheesh. Now, are we going to link arms and get out of here, or are we going to stay here all night?" As the Doctor opened his mouth, she added. "And don't say 'You're wish is my command,' all right, space man?" The Doctor shut his mouth. "Anyway, I though you were going to get changed?" For the Doctor had remained in his usual brown pin-striped suit and brown trench coat.

"I didn't think I needed to," said the Doctor. "Why, is there something wrong with it?"

Donna shook her head. "Nope."

"Right then," said the Doctor. He grinned.

Without saying another word, the two linked arms and exited the TARDIS. The very first thing to greet them was an _'awww'_ from Rani. By now, Luke and Clyde had been released from the magnetized wall; when they began something akin to wolf-whistling, the Doctor, without even turning to them, took out his sonic screwdriver and held it up. Luke and Clyde shut up immediately, and a smirking Doctor stowed the screwdriver back inside his trench coat.

"You sure are good with kids, I'll give you that," Donna remarked as the two came downstairs.

"You're sure good with the sarcasm, I'll give you that," the Doctor retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The Doctor chuckled.

Donna and the Doctor reached the ground floor and went into the kitchen, where they were greeted by Sarah Jane.

"You two heading off?" she asked, holding out her car keys.

"Just for the evening," said the Doctor. He took the keys, "Ah, thank you," and stowed them in the pocket of his trousers.

"Have fun, Doctor, Donna," said Sarah Jane, as the two departed.

"Oh, we will," said the Doctor cheerfully.

"Although with his track record, we'll probably end the evening fending off some hostile alien," Donna said, causing Sarah Jane to laugh.

"HAHAHA, very funny, Noble," the Doctor replied.

"Well, it's true," Donna said, shrugging.

"He does run into his fair share of aliens," said Sarah Jane. "But apart from that; I hope you two have a great time!"

"Yeah, thanks," said the Doctor. He waved good-bye, and Sarah Jane shut the door behind him and Donna. Donna and the Doctor climbed into the car, and the Doctor inserted the keys into the ignition.

"How often do you drive?" Donna asked.

"Not too often," the Doctor replied. He started the car and back out of the driveway. "I usually have my TARDIS to ferry me around. Last time I drove was when we met Agatha Christie. Why?"

"Just curious."

Donna and the Doctor chatted about various topics throughout the drive to London. Once they reached the restaurant, the Doctor parked the car and he and Donna got out and went into the restaurant itself. The Doctor gave his name as John Smith when they entered, and it was not long before they were seated at a table.

"Can I get you any drinks to start the evening off, Mr. and Mrs. Smith?"

Donna and the Doctor glanced at the waiter, who was a rather tall man with a goatee and handlebar mustache.

"Oh, we're not married," said the Doctor.

"Of course, sir," said the waiter unbelievingly. "What would you like to drink?"

"Just a water, thanks," said the Doctor.

"Excellent choice, sir," said the waiter, marking it down on a pad of paper he was holding. "And your wife?"

"Didn't you hear him? We're not married!" said Donna. "And I'll take a glass of water as well."

"Excellent choice, Mrs. Smith," said the waiter.

Donna was about to respond, a rather indignant look on her face, but the Doctor lightly kicked her shins under the table. Donna glared at him, longing to have a go at the waiter as he wrote down Donna's request on the paper. When he walked away, Donna reached down and rubbed her shins.

"What was that for?" Donna asked.

"I know you were about to cause a scene, Donna," said the Doctor. "But now isn't exactly the time, eh?"

Donna sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

The Doctor grinned. "No worries, Donna."

Donna and the Doctor made small talk until the waiter returned with the glasses of water, which he set down gently in front of each of the two. The waiter then asked them if they were ready to order; he had his pad of paper out, and looked at Donna and the Doctor expectantly.

"Um, yes, we're ready," said Donna. She glanced at her menu. "I'd like the onion soup, please."

"Yes, the onion soup is delicious," said the waiter. "I rather favor it myself. And for your husband?"

Donna looked exasperatedly at him, but caught a warning glance from the Doctor out of the corner of her eye, and so remained silent, except to say, "He's not my husband."

"I'd like the onion soup as well," said the Doctor cheerfully.

"Very good, sir," said the waiter. He walked away from the table.

"See, it wasn't that hard to not shout," said the Doctor.

"Well, he's getting on my nerves," said Donna. "I mean, if we were married, that would be one thing, but we're not."

"I know," said the Doctor consolingly.

The time until their soup arrived passed by rather quickly. While they were eating, the waiter came back yet again. This time, he was holding a bottle of champaign.

"We didn't order champaign," said the Doctor.

"I know you didn't," said the waiter. "But it is tradition of this humble restaurant to give a free bottle of champaign, on their first visit, to happily wedded couples."

The Doctor sighed. "Listen, I'm sure you're a lovely person, but we," he pointed at himself and Donna, "are not married. I appreciate the gesture, I really do. I think it's great you do this for married couples. But since we're not married, it wouldn't be fair to every other couple in here who isn't married, now, would it?"

The waiter nodded quietly, and turned away. While he was retreating, Donna and the Doctor heard him utter something quite rude under his breath.

"Blimey!" The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. "I ought to have a word with the manager about him."

"Doctor, he was the manager," said Donna. "Said so on his name tag."

"Blimey," said the Doctor yet again. "I knew this place would be posh, but I didn't think it would have a pestering waiter. I'm almost sorry I took you here."

"Don't apologize," said Donna. "Apart from him, I've had a lovely time here."

The Doctor grinned upon hearing that. The rest of the evening was rather nice; the only time Donna and the Doctor were once more approached by the waiter was when the Doctor had requested a check. Once they had paid for their food, Donna and the Doctor hurried out of the restaurant, not wanting to run into their waiter again. They did not, luckily, and got to the car without incident.

When they arrived back at Sarah Jane's house, all was dark. So, the Doctor quietly opened the door and let himself and Donna in, then closed and locked the door behind him. They tiptoed quietly up the stairs and once they had entered the attic, stopped speaking in whispers and used normal tones.

"Well, that was a fun evening," said Donna.

"We should go there again sometime."

"Haha," said Donna. "Don't think so."

The Doctor entered the TARDIS, with Donna following. Once the Doctor had closed the doors behind them, he and Donna headed past the console and down the hallway. They said good night to each other and went to their rooms, to get rest for the day ahead of them, when their plan would be put into action.


	15. The Plan in Action

Thanks for the reviews, dreamcatcher386, DonnaLuvr, SPG inc., and Whas'up!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 15: The Plan in Action**

oOo

"_Well, that was a fun evening," said Donna. _

"_We should go there again sometime."_

"_Haha," said Donna. "Don't think so."_

_The Doctor entered the TARDIS, with Donna following. Once the Doctor had closed the doors behind them, he and Donna headed past the console and down the hallway. They said good night to each other and went to their rooms, to get rest for the day ahead of them, when their plan would be put into action._

oOo

The morning of the next day dawned. Donna woke up, feeling rested and very much refreshed. She got out of bed and went over to the closet room to pick out an outfit; there were several choices for her to decide between, but in the end, she opted for a simple pair of jeans, pale red shirt, and cream-colored jacket. On her feet she decided to wear a pair of brown sandals. After putting her hair up into a pony-tale, Donna walked out of her room and was about to go to the Doctor's room to see if he was up; but there was no need. As she approached, the door opened and he exited, wearing a pair of blue and grey pin-striped pyjamas, his hair a tousled mess.

"Good morning, sunshine," said Donna, the moment she saw him. Taking a better look at his pyjamas, she added, "What is it with you and pin-stripes?"

The Doctor yawned and ruffled his hair. "What's wrong with pin-stripes? Anyway, morning to you, too."

"It's just that you always wear pin-stripes," said Donna. "How about going for a bit of a change?"

"Like what?" the Doctor asked, scratching his nose. "I've worn a blue suit before."

"I mean a different pattern, other than solid colors or pinstripes."

"I used to wear beige-colored suits with a decorative vegetable, back in my fifth incarnation."

"Um… no thank you," said Donna.

"Why not?" the Doctor replied. "If you or I ever get hungry, we'd have a snack, ready-made. All we'd have to do would be to detach it from my lapel."

Donna laughed. "You'd have to keep replacing it. I'm not eating a rotted vegetable. So I'll pass, thank you."

"How about I wear my pin-stripes until I find something else, hm?"

Donna sighed and grinned. "All right, Doctor, all right."

"Good girl."

"Oi!" Donna protested. "There's no need to be patronizing!"

The Doctor grinned and retreated back into his room; once inside, he closed the door. "I'll be out in a minute," came his voice from within.

"You'd better," said Donna through the door. "I don't want to take on these alien kidnappers by myself."

"Oh, I know you could take them, Donna," said the Doctor. "Your sheer attitude and prowess proves that."

"Oi!" Donna laughed.

In a few minutes, the Doctor came back out of his room, this time fully dressed in his customary pin-striped suit. He had decided not to put on the trench coat because it might hinder him, so he ended up placing the sonic screwdriver and anything else he might need in an inside pocked of the suit. Donna had done the same with her sonic lipstick, only she had placed it in and inside pocket of her own jacket.

"Well then, you look nice," said the Doctor. "Ready for a day of solving crime and fighting aliens."

"Same to you, Doctor," said Donna.

The Doctor grinned cheekily and said, "Shall we get downstairs?"

"Are we taking Sarah Jane's car again?"

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "We're going to eat breakfast first, then we're going to come back up here and take the TARDIS to Oxford. I figured we could go forward in time a few hours, to the time we need to in order to be taken. Now that the day has arrived, I figured there's no use waiting around. Might as well face it head on!" The Doctor punched a fist in the air.

"Like the Sontarans!"

"Exactly! Only, we don't have probic vents on the backs of our necks."

Donna laughed. "But even if we did, that wouldn't stop you, now would it?"

"True." The Doctor thought a moment, then said in a Southern accent which caused Donna to laugh even more, "Ya reckon we should git down tuh breakfast? All this tawk of kidnappin is makin me feel plum worn out."

"Yes, and stop with that or I'll pop my clogs before we even get there."

"Sorry," said the Doctor in his normal voice.

"Don't be," said Donna, still laughing. Once she had settled down and was following the Doctor downstairs, she said, "It's unsettling to hear you use an accent other than your own."

"Who says this is my own accent?" said the Doctor. "I might only be using this one to fit in with the local humans; when in Rome, do as the Romans do, as the saying goes. For all you know, I could have a completely different natural accent."

Donna stared at him. "You just blew my mind." Which caused the Doctor to howl with laughter.

o

Breakfast was over, and Donna and the Doctor had just bade good-bye to Sarah Jane and Luke. They were now up in the TARDIS, deciding on an exact time to arrive at Oxford. They wanted to arrived at least a little while before, so they could stake out the place and make sure no students would be around. They didn't want any more innocent people getting kidnapped by Davis McAllister, or whoever the perpetrator was. In the end, it was decided that they would arrive a couple hours before they were to be taken; that way, Donna and the Doctor would have some time to walk around and enjoy each other's company before the real mission began.

"Well, here we go," said the Doctor.

He twiddled some dials and flipped a couple switches. The TARDIS dematerialized from the attic, and then materialized in the small cove of trees where it had been earlier. As before, the area was deserted.

"I hope we don't run into Marianne," said Donna with a shudder.

"Now Donna, why ever would you say that?" said the Doctor, in a picture of innocence. He closed the TARDIS doors and he and Donna made their way toward the now familiar administration building. As the night when Donna had almost been taken, everything was silent. A lone student could be seen hurrying toward the dormitories; it was obvious they were carrying a large pile of books.

"You remember how she was spying on us," said Donna.

"Marianne was delightful," said the Doctor. He caught Donna's eye and winked. Donna shoved him. "Oi! What was that for?"

"You'll figure it out," Donna replied.

"You being coy with me, Noble?"

"You ever going to answer my original statement, Doctor?"

The Doctor grinned. "Nah, Marianne won't be here. For one thing, it's 2:15am. No one in their right mind would be up at this time of night." He paused, then added as an after-thought, "Well, except us."

"Because we're so adventurous and like to get into spots of trouble."

"Correctamundo," the Doctor replied. He muttered under his breath, "I'd hoped I wouldn't ever use that word again."

"Correctamundo indeed," said Donna. The Doctor grimaced at the repeated use of the word.

Donna looked up at the administration building as they passed. Not a light in a single window was to be seen. The Doctor followed her gaze.

"Looking for Cadger Ethyls's office window?"

"Mmhm," said Donna. "I see it, but there's no light on inside that I can see."

"Which either means Maxine and Cadger have decided to shag each other in the dark, or the office is empty," the Doctor replied, staring up at Cadger's office window. He crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"What?" said Donna, noticing the Doctor's manner. "What are you thinking now?"

"We could always check and see," he replied. Donna stared at him. "I'm kidding! Donna, don't worry. I'm not about to turn myself into some kind of peeping Tom."

"I won't comment."

"Oi!" The Doctor laughed.

Donna glanced at him and began laughing as well; as soon as the two calmed enough, they resumed their walk around the campus. They had a good time of it. Since Oxford had a fairly large campus, it took a while to walk nearly it's entirety; however, once they had, they began the walk toward the dormitories, to the place where they would be taken.

Even though Donna and the Doctor each maintained an appearance of outward calm, their hearts were beating like mad. Now, they were each, of course, used to dangerous adventures and the like, but that did not stop the fact that they were slightly nervous; Donna moreso than the Doctor, at any rate. The Doctor while only a little nervous, was rather enjoying the prospect of another adventure, in his words. He didn't show it, however, for he did not think Donna would appreciate it too much. After all, the last time he had shown enthusiasm for a quest or adventure, Agatha Christie had chastised him for it. So, the Doctor kept his enthusiasm in check, and walked with Donna toward their destination.

"We've got fifteen minutes," said the Doctor, once they had reached the place.

Donna nodded, then asked, "I know we're supposedly going to be taken tonight, but how is whoever is up there going to know we're down here?"

The Doctor tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Hm. I hadn't thought of that."

"Doctor," said Donna warningly.

"Donna, don't worry, everything will be all right," said the Doctor. "You're with me, remember? I also happen to be very clever. So you'll be fine no matter what happens." A moment passed by.

"And?" said Donna with a touch of impatience.

For an answer, the Doctor reached on the inside of his jacket and pulled out his sonic scewdriver. "I have this. I can just use it to signal our presence, and when I do, it'll be bye-bye Earth and hello spaceship!"

"I should've figured it would be something like that," said Donna. "But when you use it, won't it be taken away once we get taken up there?"

"Nah," said the Doctor. "I recently installed a bio-damper on it. That way, in the even that I get kidnapped, I can have it with me and no one will be any wiser."

"You think of everything, don't you?" Donna asked him, as the two settled down at the spot where Donna had nearly been taken only recently.

"Of course I do," the Doctor responded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm clever, remember?"

"Don't I know," said Donna.

The minutes passed by, and as the Doctor thought, nothing occurred to alert their presence to the ship overhead. So, the Doctor took out the sonic screwdriver once more and, before doing anything with it, shared a quick kiss with Donna. Then, he turned it on.

The shadow appeared more quickly than it had the previous time, Donna noted. She mentioned this fact to the Doctor, who nodded.

"Yeah, I figured it would, since I virtually called it, instead of it coming down here on it's own."

The shadow then made its way toward the couple, the circular shape spinning slightly. And then it reached them. It all happened, just as Donna and the Doctor had imagined it would. They each felt themselves become rigid, almost paralyzed; it reminded the Doctor of the time he had been possessed on Midnight, and to feel it again almost terrified him. But, he kept as calm as he could, especially when he felt himself beginning to dematerialize; he could see Donna out of the corner of his eye, and could see her dematerializing as well.

As the two were taken up, there was no familiar scream, as there had been with the other disappearances. The Doctor guessed it had something to do with the fact he had used his sonic screwdriver, but never mind that now. The Doctor caught one last glimpse of his surroundings before he blacked out. The next thing he knew, he was laying on the floor of a spaceship, which he knew was the same one that had taken all the others

"Ow… my head."

"Donna, are you ok?" The Doctor got up and went over to Donna, who laying only a few feet from him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said. "I've gotta say, I much prefer traveling in the TARDIS."

"Time travel without a capsule isn't pleasant," the Doctor replied. He held out a hand, and helped Donna up.

"Where are we?" Donna asked.

"On the spaceship, I reckon," said the Doctor. "And I never even got to use the line I was hoping to say. "Beam me up, Scotty!" I mean, how rubbish is that?"

He examined their surroundings. It seemed that he and Donna had been teleported to some kind of storage room. The room itself was fairly small, about eleven by eleven feet. Metal boxes lined the walls, leaving only about eight feet of space in which Donna and the Doctor could move. As his gaze wandered around the room, the Doctor noticed Donna standing in front of a rather short stack of boxes, looking over them at something unseen beyond.

"Donna, what do you see?"

"There's a window here," Donna replied. The Doctor walked over to her and saw that there was, indeed, a window. Through it, the two of them could see the grounds of Oxford, let ever so elegantly by the moonlight; indicating, of course, that neither of them had been unconscious for more than a minute, at least.

"Interesting," said the Doctor. "Very interesting."

"What is it?" Donna asked.

"I'd have to say we're not more than a couple hundred feet above the ground," the Doctor said. "Which makes me wonder… we're high up enough so that a helicopter or other small aircraft, or a kite, would be able to hit this spaceship. So why hasn't any of that happened? Because if it did, of course, then that would mean people would know this ship was here. But here it is, safe and sound and undisturbed."

"What are you saying?" Donna asked. "That this space ship thing has some kind of deflector shield like the TARDIS?"

"Precisely," said the Doctor. "Space ships usually do."

"Well great," said Donna sarcastically. "Here you go, setting me up for what I think is a huge revelation, and all you've got to say is that space ships usually do have shielding!"

"Sorry."

"Whatever," said Donna, brushing some hair aside. "Let's not worry about it right now."

"Yeah… let's get moving and see what we can find out about this thing."

"Excellent idea," said a voice.

Donna and the Doctor whipped around. Their eyes settled on a man, standing in front of an open doorway. Something about the man seemed very familiar. The man had a squat figure, from what could be seen of his outline. His voice sounded familiar as well; Donna knew she had heard it before.


	16. Taken Aboard

Thanks for the reviews, dreamcatcher386, DonnaLuvr, SPG inc., and TimeLadyofthePings!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 16: Taken Aboard**

oOo

"_What are you saying?" Donna asked. "That this space ship thing has some kind of deflector shield like the TARDIS?"_

"_Precisely," said the Doctor. "Space ships usually do."_

"_Well great," said Donna sarcastically. "Here you go, setting me up for what I think is a huge revelation, and all you've got to say is that space ships usually do have shielding!"_

"_Sorry."_

"_Whatever," said Donna, brushing some hair aside. "Let's not worry about it right now."_

"_Yeah… let's get moving and see what we can find out about this thing."_

"_Excellent idea," said a voice. _

_Donna and the Doctor whipped around. Their eyes settled on a man, standing in front of an open doorway. Something about the man seemed very familiar. The man had a squat figure, from what could be seen of his outline. His voice sounded familiar as well; Donna knew she had heard it before._

oOo

"Davis?" The Doctor was squinting at him. "Davis McAllister?"

"Who did you think it would be?" Davis stepped forward so that his captives could see him better. He was sneering. "I've been instructed to bring you to the control room. Someone there wants to see you. _Both_ of you."

"Why? What for?" Donna asked.

Davis smirked. "Because my partner-in-crime, if I may put it so, says he knows you. Or at least, he's met you before. I suppose he wants to see you for himself."

"Just who is this so-called "partner in crime" of yours?"

"You'll find out soon enough, _Doctor_."

The Doctor started at hearing the use of his name. Davis's smirk widened.

"How did you know who I was?"

Davis shrugged. "You and Miss Noble here have been tracked for quite some time. For example, I know you have your TARDIS parked behind the administration building in the grove of trees. My colleague and I have been waiting for the right moment to get you on board, and lucky for us, that moment is right now." He motioned behind him and, through the doorway walked two security guards. "One for each of you," said Davis, smiling. "See? I try to be kind. I could've had three security guards apiece for each of you, but my colleague knew that if you were curious, you wouldn't be a whole lot of trouble."

"Maybe he won't, but I sure will be once I get through with you!" Donna shouted.

Davis said nothing except to motion to his guards to grab hold of Donna and the Doctor. Once they had done so, Davis led them out of the room and through a dark hallway, with the only light being a single candle attached to one wall.

"Keep a tight hold on that one," Davis said to the guard, nodding at Donna.

"Wise move," said the Doctor. "Otherwise she really will kill you."

"Shut up!" Davis hit the Doctor with the back of his hand. When the Doctor said nothing, Davis smirked and turned away.

"Oh, like that helped," said Donna menacingly. Davis ignored her and continued on, leading the two to the control room.

"Not exactly a cheerful place, is it?" The Doctor said to Donna, rather conversationally.

The group was moving through a hallway exactly like the last one had been, only this time there was a painting on one wall detailing a person being slaughtered by an auton. The Doctor looked at it, sickened.

"Cheerful, yes," said Davis, seeing what the Doctor was glaring at. "I like to think so, at any rate."

"You're sick!" said Donna.

"Actually, I'm feeling quite healthy," said Davis. He spoke it with a tone indicating he had understood what Donna had really meant.

Silence reigned as the group made their way to the control room. Every hall they passed through was much the same as the first had been: dark, cold, and entirely devoid of any warmth whatsoever. It was somewhat like a prison, only not made of stone or other some such substance; instead, it was made of dark metal, cool to the touch.

"Ah, here we are!"

Davis sounded rather cheerful. Donna and the Doctor, who had been gazing at the floor and alternately, each other, glanced in front of them and saw a large silver door with an ornate twisted handle.

"Bit extravagant, McAllister?"

Davis turned to Donna. "Somewhat. My colleague and I like a little finery here and there." He gestured loosely at the door and at his general surroundings. Then, suddenly clapping his hands together, he said, "Well, time's a wasting!" And without further ado, Davis opened the door and led everyone inside.

The control room was not quite what Donna and the Doctor had expected. What they thought would be much like the hallways, dark and devoid of cheer, was instead something of a surprised. At the very head of the room was a large, somewhat curved window made of some incredible thick glass-like material. Right beneath that was all the controls to run the ship and adjacent to that on the left was a case of books related to navigation, as well as a mini-kitchen with a fridge, counter, microwave, and cupboards. On the adjacent right of the controls was a sofa and two comfortable looking leather chairs, all surrounding an oval-shaped coffee table.

"Nice place you've got here," the Doctor remarked.

"Thank you," said Davis.

"What exactly is that window made of? Because I know it's not glass…what with traveling through space, it would have to be something much more durable."

"It looks like fiber-glass to me," said Donna.

"Something like that," said Davis. "I'm not really sure what, exactly. When my colleague and I got it repaired a few months ago, the bloke fixing it said it came from some far-off planet called San Helios…does that mean something to you?" For the Doctor had started.

"Doctor?" said Donna gently. "What is it?"

"I went to San Helios a few months ago," said the Doctor. "It was before I met up with you again. I was on a bus and we went through a wormhole onto the planet. Everything had been destroyed… all that was left was sand."

"Alien stingrays, I think," said Davis.

The Doctor looked at him. "How did you know?"

Davis shrugged. "My colleague and I heard rumors of them. We thought we should get away from that planet as soon as possible, just in case. Good thing we did, it turns out."

"Speaking of which," said the Doctor suddenly, and more loudly, placing his hands inside his pockets. He started pacing. "Where is this colleague of yours, hm? Where is the co-captain? The co-leader of your quaint little ship? Because, pardon me for saying so, you keep talking of your colleague, but a captain is never to leave the control room. At least, two people always have to stay in the control room. I learned that when I was on that Titanic spaceship. But where is this grand co-master you keep harping on about? Eh? Does he even exist?"

"Of course he exists!" Davis shouted, indignant.

"Oi, there's no need to shout, pea-brain!" Donna said loudly.

"Donna's right, you know," said the Doctor. "No need to shout when this can be settled in calm, reasoned discussion."

"My colleague had gone down to check on the prisoners, if you must know, _Doctor_." Davis spat out the last word as though he had tasted something bitter. "I was here all alone when I sensed you two on the ground. So I took you up and went to fetch you," said Davis. He added, sneering, "Like a pair of common dogs!"

Davis didn't have time to react; all he knew was that Donna had stepped forward, a dangerous look on her face. The next moment, her hand had slapped with such force across his face as to make him stumble backward a few paces. Shocked, the Doctor stared at him for a moment, then turned to Donna.

"So much for calm, reasoned discussion."

"Well," said Donna, "he deserved it!"

Davis felt the place where Donna had slapped him, then stepped forward toward the couple, murder in his eyes. "You'll pay for that one, missy!" he snarled. Davis raised his fist and was on the point of hitting her, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Stop! That won't be necessary, Davis."

Davis reluctantly let down his fist and turned to his colleague. Donna and the Doctor followed his gaze, and gasped.

"Clyde?!" "Cadger?!" Donna and the Doctor said simultaneously. "What are you doing here?!"

And indeed, there he was, the man with two names: Cadger Ethyls and Clyde Hasgert. He stood there, gazing at Donna and the Doctor, his dark hair falling over his beautiful blue eyes. He chuckled with amusement at their confused expressions. "Let me help you out," he said kindly. "My name is not Clyde Hasgert, it is Cadger Ethyls; so I apologize for causing you confusion, Miss Noble. I am afraid the name Clyde just an alias; I needed one, after all, for the line of work I was doing. I needed to have a position at Oxford so I could over see the project that Davis and I were working on. Yet, if I was going to be working on your planet below, I figured I should have a second job, just to be on the safe side."

"Safe side of _what?_" Donna asked, not very politely.

"In case our plan at Oxford did not work out, Davis and I needed a back-up."

"Back up of what?" Donna asked in the same tone of voice. "You're not telling us what it is you and your crony are doing."

"Now, Donna, be polite," said the Doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor," said Cadger. He turned to Donna. "All will be revealed in good time. For the moment, however, I will have my guards take you down to the other prisoners."

"Wait just one moment!" Donna shouted. Everyone paused at the commanding tone of her voice. The Doctor grinned at her.

"What is it?" Cadger asked with a touch of impatience.

"Maxine," said Donna. "She said she'd been shagging you."

"Oh yeah." Cadger grinned, a reminiscent gleam in his eye. "Some of the best shaggings I've ever had. I'm going to miss them. You and the Doctor should try it sometime. I mean, you do have feelings for eachother." He clapped his hands together suddenly, then, changing the subject, he said, "Well, time's a wasting! Guards, get these two down to the other prisoners!"

"Whoa whoa whoa… hold on a minute, Cadger," said the Doctor as the Guards moved forward. He held out his hands in front of himself and Donna, as if to ward off some evil.

Cadger, who had been gazing out the window, signed impatiently and turned round. "What is it, Doctor? I haven't got all day, you know."

"Yes, I know that," said the Doctor quickly. "But… and hear me out. But, the screams and the shadows that take people up… with those two things combined, you should have the whole of Oxford cowering in fear. So why aren't they?"

"A simple explanation, Doctor," said Cadger. "I'm surprised you haven't thought of it before."

"Yeah, well, I had my mind on…other things," the Doctor replied. He glanced at Donna. "More to the point?"

"Of course," said Cadger. He turned to Davis. "If you will do the honors?"

Davis, smiling, obliged. "We used wireless signals to go into the brains of everyone within hearing distance to search for even the slightest trace of the screams and shadows. We then used those signals to alter their thought and memory patterns, so that any memory, thought, or inkling of the taking would be erased, thought not completely. You'll understand, Doctor, that we had to keep a certain amount of fear within those at Oxford."

"_Had_ to?" said the Doctor, glaring at him with fury. "Or _wanted_ to?"

"Well, I guess you could say _wanted_," said Davis. "It is good fun to cause fear. If people weren't fearful, doing what we've been doing here would be so much easier. We wanted a bit of a challenge."

"You make me sick, both of you, you know that?" Donna said, disgusted, nearly shouting. "I oughtta shove you-"

"Donna," the Doctor groaned.

"Sorry," said Donna, clearly not meaning it.

At this, Davis clapped his hands once cheerfully together, then repeated what he'd said, about telling the two of them when all would be revealed. He then had his guards take Donna and the Doctor down to the other prisoners, to await the time when they would be "needed."

"Jolly trip, this, isn't it?" said the Doctor, rather cheerfully. The guards leading the two down to the other prisoners stared at him. "Blackness, darkness, paintings of mutilations…I can't think of a place I'd rather be than this! Positively stimulating!"

"I can think of something that would be even more stimulating," said Donna, glaring fiercely at their current captors. "Can you two guess what it is?"

The guards exchanged a look but remained silent.

"Aw, no response?" said the Doctor admonishingly. "For shame! The woman asked you a question! No need to give her the silent treatment; that's just plain rude."

One of the guards sighed. "She wants to kill us, is that it?"

"No, not kill you, mate," Donna responded. "Just knock you out so my partner in crime and I can get away from your stinking filth."

"See? Now you've made her angry," the Doctor pointed out obviously. "It would have been better to answer her right away rather than ignore her. Which is what you two seem to be doing to me. Is that right? Yes? No? Not going to respond, I take it? Ah well, your loss. Guess I'll have to just keep on talking. Or maybe not. It depends. I do tend to talk a lot, that's my problem. I just go on and on and on, talking and talking and talking, until-"

"_Will you shut up?_" one of the guards hissed at him.

"You see, _that's_ what I'm talking about," said the Doctor. "I keep on talking until someone tells me to tone it down. And since you asked so kindly, I will indeed shut up. No more words. You won't hear another peep from me, no sir. Not one. Not one little peep."

The Doctor continued in this fashion the entire journey down to the other prisoners, at the end of which, the exasperated guards were quite glad to be rid of the Doctor and Donna. The guard overseeing Donna opened a rather small iron door, and she and the Doctor were shoved inside. The door behind them was shut almost immediately, and by the time they heard the lock clicking into place, Donna and the Doctor had only taken a quick glance around the room.

The room, of course, was rather large, its sized betrayed by the door which led to it. The first thing Donna and the Doctor saw were the prisoners themselves, who looked surprisingly well kept, if not a bit scared and tired looking. The floor was made of cold black stone. A few blocks of grayish stone along two of the walls served as benches, of a sort, as well as a hidden area which was labeled "rest room". Other than that, no other furnishings could be seen.

"Well, at least they had the courtesy to give these people a place to use the loo," Donna remarked.

"Mm, very true," said the Doctor. He fingered something inside his jacket.

"You still have your sonic screw driver?"

"Apparently so," said the Doctor, taking it out and examining it.

"I wonder why it wasn't taken away from you?" Donna asked.

"So do I," said the Doctor. "Ah well, only one way to be sure." At this, he pointed the screwdriver at the lock and flicked it on. Nothing. "That's probably why."

"You mean they knew your screwdriver wouldn't work on this door?"

The Doctor nodded. "Which also explains why they didn't take your sonic lipstick. Because if they have this kind of technology, to make metal doors unworkable against sonic technology, then they will also be able to detect anyone else with a sonic device."

By now, some of the other prisoners had taken curiosity of the new arrivals and were beginning to talk about them amongst themselves. None of them approached Donna or the Doctor due solely fact that they did not want to be rude and interrupt their conversation.

"So what we have to do now is think of another plan, then," said Donna.

"Another plan for what?"

Donna tilted her head and gave the Doctor a look. "Another plan of _escape_, you dumbo. Since the sonic screwdriver didn't work, we'll have to think of something else."

"Ah, very true. And we will," said the Doctor.

"But?"

"But first I want to talk with our fellow prisoners, and see what we can find out about where we are. For all we know, they could have information or know something that we don't. Then we can start to formulate something." The Doctor held out his hand. "Deal, Miss Noble?"

Donna took the Doctor's hand and gave it an obliging shake. "Deal, space man."

"Right then, let's get to it!"


	17. Jamie McCrimmon

Thanks for the reviews, DonnaLuvr, SPG inc., dreamcatcher386, and Donna Noble-Harkness!!!!!

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**Chapter 17: Jamie McCrimmon**

oOo

"_So what we have to do now is think of another plan, then," said Donna. _

"_Another plan for what?"_

_Donna tilted her head and gave the Doctor a look. "Another plan of _escape,_ you dumbo. Since the sonic screwdriver didn't work, we'll have to think of something else."_

"_Ah, very true. And we will," said the Doctor._

"_But?"_

"_But first I want to talk with our fellow prisoners, and see what we can find out about where we are. For all we know, they could have information or know something that we don't. Then we can start to formulate something." The Doctor held out his hand. "Deal, Miss Noble?"_

_Donna took the Doctor's hand and gave it an obliging shake. "Deal, space man."_

"_Right then, let's get to it!"_

oOo

Donna and the Doctor headed toward the rest of the room's occupants; or at least, they tried to, but they had only gone forward a few paces when they were stopped by a man with a large grin plastered on his face. He looked to be in his mid fifties and had only a little hair to cover his balding head, and a pair of glasses to cover his eyes, which somehow seemed older than the man who's body they occupied.

"Doctor!" the man said. He spoke with a thick Scottish accent and sounded as if he was the happiest he had been in a long time.

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor cautiously, "but do I know you?"

"Of course you do!" said the man.

"Um… I do?"

"Doctor," interrupted Donna, "don't you recognize his picture from the files? He's one of the professors who was taken, Dr. McCrimmon."

"McCrimmon…" The Doctor _knew_ he had heard that name before; it sounded so familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it. "McCrimmon…"

"_Jamie_ McCrimmon, ya daft man! You're mind is going a bit, there!"

"Oi!"

"Well, you are daft sometimes," Donna said.

"I used to travel with you, Doctor! Or have you forgotten?"

The Doctor stared at him for a moment, then suddenly his eyes widened in realization as he shouted, "JAMIE!" Causing everyone else in the room to stare at them a moment before going back to their own business. The two men began laughing and gave each other a big bear hug; once they had settled down, they began talking to each other with enthusiasm.

"I thought you had died!" the Doctor said, stunned, yet glad to see an old companion all the same. "I picked you up in my TARDIS in the 1700s, and going to fight the Cybermen. I remember you used your sword to destroy that Worldshaper device thing, and then it exploded, and-"

"And aged me to death?" Jamie replied.

"Yeah," said the Doctor.

"Well, I did die," said Jamie with a shrug of the shoulders, as though his death had been obvious. As if sensing what the Doctor was going to say next, he added, "But I don't know how I was raised back to life."

"No idea?" asked the Doctor. "Not even a clue?"

Jamie shook his head. "All I remember is the feeling of waking up from a very long sleep, and that I was brought back to life because of a ring. It had some odd symbols on it."

"What kind of odd symbols?" asked the Doctor.

Jamie shrugged aga. "I don't remember. All I know is that, as soon as I regained life, I was brought forward to this time, would've been, oh, five years ago, and de-aged a few decades."

Donna looked at the Doctor, who was deep in thought. "Doctor?" she asked. The Doctor was startled from his reverie. "Doctor, what you suppose happened?"

The Doctor thought for a moment more, then shrugged and said, "I have no idea. It's strange, though, you being brought back to life like that. Are you absolutely _sure_ you don't remember anything else? About whoever brought you back to life and placed you in this time?"

Jamie shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

The Doctor sighed. "Oh well, I supposed we can look into that later. Right now, Donna and I need to get some information from these people about the ship and what they know, if anything, of its layout."

"I might be able to help you with that," said Jamie. "These people here aren't too trusting of strangers, because of what's been going on here. But I've gotten to know them, so I might be able to get some information, or at least help you get it."

"Excellent!" said the Doctor cheerfully.

"But first I want to know something."

"Yeah, what?" asked Donna.

"I saw the way you two were looking at each other when you came in," said Jamie with a shrewd grin. "Now, I may only be a professor of history, but I know romance when I see it. Are you two together?"

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. "Well…"

"Yes, we are," Donna answered for him. "Donna Noble, pleased to meet you!" Smiling, she shook Jamie's hand.

"Pleased to meet ya as well, Donna," said Jamie. Turning to the Doctor he added, "Shall we start?"

The Doctor nodded. "You can get their attention, then I'll jump into the conversation when it's time."

Jamie nodded and turned to the rest of the group, who were all talking amongst themselves. Donna recognized Fred Cullen, although he hadn't yet seemed to noticed her and the Doctor. This was to be understood, of course; at the moment, Fred was chatting up a very pretty Russian girl who Donna recognized from the files as being Natasha Brockovitch. She smile; Fred and Natasha made a cute couple.

_That must be his girlfriend, then,_ Donna thought. _He did mention having one._

Donna's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Jamie's voice, loud and clear, calling out to the rest of the room.

"All right now, everyone! Attention, please!"

The Doctor, who had momentarily let his mind wander off, started.

"Everyone," continued Jamie. "I know you're scared and just plain tired of being here. But my good friend here, the Doctor, has an idea. So, if you'll just listen, he has a few words he'd like to say, and a few questions he'd like to ask."

Saying this, Jamie turned to the Doctor and gestured him forward; obligingly, the Doctor came forward and stood beside his former traveling companion.

"So, words and questions," said the Doctor. He adjusted his customary pair of glasses so that they stood a little higher on the bridge of his nose. "I want to know what, if anything, all of you know about the layout of this here spaceship. Like, when you arrived here, where exactly did you arrive, and what do you recall of the route you took when you were brought to this homey cell?" A few people snorted at that, for the cell was hardly what one could call homey. "Anyone at all? Please, don't be afraid to speak up! I need to know as much as I can from everyone possible; I need as many people as possible to share what they know."

"Why?" said a voice from the back of the room. Donna recognized him from his file as well; his name was Kevin Wiltshire. "Why should we share what we know? How do we know you're not going to turn us over to the blokes in charge?"

There was a murmer of agreement that rippled throughout the room.

"Because, Kevin, Donna, here, and I are both obviously prisoners as well," said the Doctor. "And if you've got any sense whatsoever, you'll listen to me, because I am very clever and, if you share what you know with me, I might be able to formulate a plan to get us all out of here. You got that?"

Kevin looked unsure. "How do we know this plan will work and that this isn't just a set-up to get us into more trouble?"

"He won't," said Fred.

"Yeah? How do you know?" Kevin countered.

Fred shrugged and said simply, "Because I trust him. I had classes with them at Oxford, and I could instinctly tell that the Doctor and Donna were genuinely good people with an honest heart. Plus, the two of them are very clever, so it would behoove you to cooperate with them or suffer the consequences."

"And just what are those, precisely?" Kevin asked.

"Good question, Kevin," said the Doctor. "Anyone have any idea what the consequences of staying here, and not escaping are?"

"I've heard one thing," said Natasha. With her thick Russian accent it was somewhat hard to understand her, but nevertheless, the Doctor did.

"Like what?" said the Doctor.

"Well, when I was brought up here, I was all alone in some kind of storage room. No one arrived for a while, so I went out and explored the ship for a bit; I evaded the guards for at least three hours before they finally caught me and brought me here."

"And what did you learn during that time?" the Doctor asked.

"Not much," Natasha admitted. "Although, about ten minutes before the guards found me, I heard a couple of them talking about what the two main people who run this ship plan to do with us."

"What did you hear?" Donna asked.

"It was hard to understand them because their voices were muffled; I was, after all, listening through a closed door," said Natasha. "But, I heard them mention something about getting smart people for an experiment."

"I heard something like that, too," said Kevin.

"Finally decided to be civil, then?"

"Doctor, just be grateful he _is_ being civil," Donna muttered quietly.

"Right, sorry," the Doctor replied in an equally quiet tone. In a louder voice, he said, "What was it you heard, Kevin?"

"That whoever runs this place wanted people with a certain level of intelligence," said Kevin. "Maybe they want to run some kind of IQ test on us, then let us go back to our lives?"

"Something tells me that isn't what they plan to do with us," said Donna. "The Doctor and I met up with the blokes who run this ship, and they seemed much sinister than that."

"Right you are, Donna," said the Doctor. "I think they intend to run something much more serious than an IQ test on us all, but I don't want to stick around and find out. Which is why we need to get out of here, pronto. So, Natasha, from your foray around the ship, what do you remember of where you went?"

Natasha thought for a moment, trying to remember the details of her exploration. Finally, she said, "Well, I appeared inside a storage room of some kind, but it only had a couple of things in it."

"What were they?" the Doctor asked.

"Metal boxes," said Natasha. "Anyway, I exited the room almost right away because I was frightened and wanted to find out where I was. I found myself in a hall, and across the way from me was a picture on the wall of someone being slaughtered by a shop-window dummy."

"The Doctor and I saw that, too," said Donna. "It was pretty close to the control room."

"I didn't see any control room," said Natasha. "All I did when I saw it was to run away from it. I opened a door at the end of the hall which led me down two flights of stairs. I opened the door there and entered a room which had all kinds of strange looking metal devices. They looked like motor bike helmets almost, only they were shiny and silver, and they had spikes all on the inside. On top of them were something that looked like a plunger, yet it was molded to look like it could fit onto someone's forehead."

"Did you see anything else?" the Doctor asked.

Natasha shook her head. "No," she said. "Besides, by that point I was pretty scared, so I ran right through the room and to the other end, where there was a door. I went through it and down another hall, and that's when I ran into Dr. Ianson."

"Who?" asked Donna.

"She means me." Dr. Ianson stepped forward into a patch of light let off by a dimming bulb overhead. Dr. Ianson was a middle-aged woman with black hair. She had a few wrinkles, but otherwise looked younger than she really was.

"Dr. Ianson, pleasure to meet you," said the Doctor. He held out his hand, which Dr. Ianson shook. "I've been teaching your physics class for you, you know. Delightful subject and delightful students!"

"Ahem," Donna coughed lightly.

"Perhaps not the right time for chit-chat." The Doctor adjusted his glasses again and said, more seriously, "Now, a question. Before you met up with Natasha here, where had you been?"

"I appeared in a food freezer, of all places," said Dr. Ianson. "Bloody cold, I tell you. The door leading out wasn't locked, thankfully, so I exited into a hallway. There was an exit door a few paces away, with a clear pane of fiber glass-like material which I looked through. I was going to exit the space ship, but the earth was too far below, so I tried to look around for something that could take me down to Earth safely. I walked down the hall way, past the freezer room, and opened a door which led into a stairwell. I climbed the stair to the next floor up and that's when I ran into Natasha."

"Why didn't you tell her about the exit door?" the Doctor asked.

"I tried," said Dr. Ianson. "But as soon as we encountered each other, we were surrounded by guards and knocked out. The next thing I knew, we were in here."

"But why didn't you tell her and whoever else was here about the exit door?" Donna asked.

"Being knocked out can do things to one's memory," said Dr. Ianson. "I had forgotten about it until just now."

"Because you needed something to trigger the memory."

"Right, Doctor."

"Ok, so we know of a way out," said the Doctor. "Which is a huge start. But, what we don't know and what we desperately need to know is a way to get from this prison room here to the exit door."

"And you say you're so clever, space man," said Donna.

"But I am!"

"Not so clever as you think you are," said Donna. "Remember, _we_ weren't unconscious when we were brought here. And we just happened to pass by the same picture of the auton that Natasha saw. So we just need to find a common place where Natasha's and our points, paths, or whatever, crossed. When we find that, we'll find the route out."

The Doctor, comprehending what Donna was saying, looked positively delighted. "I remember we passed by a door leading to a stairwell. It _was_ at the end of the same hallway Natasha first entered, but I didn't think much of it. All we did was pass by it on our way down here, when we turned the corner," the Doctor was talking quickly and with mounting enthusiasm. "And we went down a hall that was unnaturally long, and near the end of that hallway was _this_ very room! Donna Noble, you're brilliant!!" He shouted this last part and swept her up in a big hug. He set her back down with a quick kiss, leaving Donna looking somewhat dazed.

"So we've found a way to get out of here?" said Fred, trying not to sound hopeful.

"That's right, Fred," the Doctor replied. "We have a way out!"

"Great, then!" Jamie said, smiling broadly. "Let's get to planning, eh?"


	18. The Escape

Thanks for the reviews, SPG inc., dreamcatcher386, Donna Noble-Harkness, and DonnaLuvr!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 18: The Escape**

oOo

"_So we've found a way to get out of here?" said Fred, trying not to sound hopeful._

"_That's right, Fred," the Doctor replied. "We have a way out!"_

"_Great, then!" Jamie said, smiling broadly. "Let's get to planning, eh?"_

oOo

"Wait minute, though," said Donna. "All we need to do is get out of this room, walk down the really long hallway, open the door to the stairwell, walk down three flights of stairs, walk down another hallway, and we'll find ourselves at the exit?"

"Yes!" The Doctor punched the air in his excitement.

"But there's one thing," said Donna. She seemed hesitant.

"What's that?" Jamie asked.

"It seems too easy. I mean, a way of escape, just like _that?_ There's got to be something we're missing."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, loosing steam.

"I _mean,"_ said Donna, "that the way out of here seems way too easy, like it was set up for us."

There was a moment of silence, then the Doctor spoke up, speaking each word with thought. "I don't think so; not necessarily," he said. "You remember how I tried to get out of here with my sonic screwdriver, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So," the Doctor replied, "if it really was as easy as it seems, then why did they render the sonic technology useless? If they did want to make it easy, they'd have built this ship so that I'd be able so successfully use my screwdriver."

"I guess." Donna grinned slowly. "I suppose I've just been traveling with you for far too long, Doctor. I've been in so many situations with you, I tend to over-think these things."

"He does have that effect on people," Jamie remarked.

"Oi!"

"Well, you do," Donna said.

"Why do you companions always have to gang up on me?" the Doctor muttered. "I'd rather you were fighting."

"What was that?"

"Hm? Oh…nothing, Donna."

"Keep muttering things like that under your breath, and I suspect "nothing" will end right up your-"

"Anyway," said the Doctor, cutting her off. He turned to the rest of the room. "Everyone, thank you for telling Jamie and I about this place. But unfortunately, knowing the layout of this handy-dandy fancy-shmancy space ship won't be of much use if we can't actually get out of it and back down to Earth. So," he continued, rubbing his hands together, "what needs to happen now is this: finding a way to get out of this delightful room that we find ourselves so willingly in. Eh?"

"But how will we do that?" asked Fred. "I know I'm very clever, but even I know that those guards are tough and won't go down easy."

"I happen to be very clever too," said the Doctor. "And I say that we will not harm the guards in any way."

"But how can we do that, Doctor?" asked Kevin. "You've seen those guards; we all have! How can we get away from them without getting at them?"

"We won't clobber them," said the Doctor, becoming serious. "We'll distract them enough so as to allow us all to get away."

"But _how?_" said Kevin. "My dad was in a situation like this, only it was during the war. The only way he could get away from his captors was by attacking them!"

"No one will be attacking anyone," the Doctor said, voice rising. "No one will be _killing _anyone, have you got that?" Kevin said nothing as the Doctor's gaze swept across the room. "Good, now, if you all don't mind, I'm going to have a talk with my good friends Jamie and Donna. We will be discussing how to maneuver our way around the guards and out of this room, so don't bother us. We'll tell you what we've decided and get your input as soon as we're ready."

With that, the Doctor turned, led Jamie and Donna to a corner of the room, away from everyone else, and the three began deliberations.

"So what's your plan, then?" Donna asked.

"I haven't got one," the Doctor replied. "Which leads to the obvious reason of me getting us three together so we could discuss it. If I already did have a plan, I would be telling everyone what it is. So, any ideas, you two? We haven't got the rest of eternity to decide, you know."

"Yes, I realized that; thanks, space man," Donna replied with a touch of impatience.

The Doctor ignored her. Instead, he turned to Jamie and asked, "When do you lot get meals? Because I'm assuming you have to eat _something_, if you've been kept as long as you all have."

"You make them sound like pets," Donna muttered. Luckily, the Doctor didn't hear her.

"Aye, we get meals," Jamie replied. "Three per day, naturally. I'm assuming whatever the people in charge here want us for, they want us to be nourished. We had dinner not too long ago."

"And who brought you the food?" The Doctor asked.

"The guards," Jamie said. "They always do."

"So we're just going to find someway to subdue the guards so we can get past them?"

"Donna, I already said no one is going to be clobbered," the Doctor reminded. "We're going to distract them, that's all."

"How?" Donna asked.

"By using my sonic screwdriver," he replied simply.

"I can't believe you still have that, after all these years," said Jamie.

"Neither can I, but it's certainly come in useful," said the Doctor. "I have a setting on this that will enable me to plant images inside people's heads. It's temporary, and will only last about ten minutes, or at least it should, which will give us all enough time to get away. I haven't used it before, but I'm positive it will work."

"You're using them as guinea pigs," Donna said.

The Doctor tilted his head thoughtfully. "Something like that, yeah. Anyway, I'm going to point this at the guards, and plant an image in their heads of all of us being here. I'll program the image to make it seem like some of us are trying to cause a disturbance, so the guards will come in and subdue us. Or at least, they think they will. Meanwhile, the real us will be sneaking out and escaping."

"Why can't we just use the perception filters?"

"Donna, we only have two of them."

"So? Doesn't that screwdriver have a duplication setting?"

"No," said the Doctor. "Although, now you mention it, that's an excellent idea. I should consider adding one." He trailed off, and was only brought back to the present time when Donna cleared her throat.

"Earth to Doctor!"

"Hm? Oh… sorry, drifted off for a bit."

"He was probably fantasizing of things to do to his sonic screwdriver," said Jamie.

"Oi! No need to make comments like that, Jamie; there are ladies present!"

"I wasn't-" Then Jamie caught the twinkle in the Doctor's eye, and realized he was kidding. "Och aye! You need to watch what you say, Doctor."

"Why do I need to watch what I say?" the Doctor asked. "I never watch what I say."

"Obviously," Donna said to herself. Raising her voice to a normal level, she said, "You don't want people to think you're a clone of Captain Jack, do you?"

"I'd rather not have them think that, no," agreed the Doctor. "Anyway, getting things back on track… Jamie, when do the guards serve breakfast?"

"In about five hours," Jamie replied. "Three guards usually do it, although I'm not sure how many guards are actually on this thing."

"That doesn't matter," said the Doctor. "I can go first when we're escaping, just so I can plant temporary images of empty hallways in the minds of whatever guards we might find."

"So we know how we're going to fool the guards into thinking we're here when we're really not," said Donna. "But are we going to wait until they come in, and then put the images in their minds?"

"I was thinking something like that. Only, I figure it would be best if everyone crowded into the side of the room where we are now, that way when the guards enter, they won't see any of us. They'll just see empty space for a fraction of a second, then I'll point my handy-dandy screwdriver at them. Like taking candy from a baby!" Grinning like a child, the Doctor snapped his fingers. Then, upon seeing Jamie's and Donna's expressions, the grin slid from his face. He said, uncertainly, "What's the matter? I thought it was a good idea."

"'Like taking candy from a _baby_?'," Jamie said. "Doctor, I know you like an adventure, but isn't taking candy from an innocent, defenseless baby, a bit much? Like, the lowest course of action someone could take? I'm just going by the enthusiasm when you said it."

Donna leaned toward Jamie. "Makes me wonder if he's ever actually done it," she said to him in an undertone, although it was loud enough for the Doctor to hear it. When he did, he frowned.

"I quite agree," Jamie replied. "Wouldn't surprise me one bit."

"Now look here, you two-" the Doctor began.

"He's getting defenseless," Donna observed. "That seals it."

"For your information," the Doctor interrupted defensively, "the candy that baby was holding was full of a deadly toxin that would've killed the kid right then and there."

"So you _have_ done it," Jamie remarked.

"Yes," said the Doctor. "It was right after I'd met Donna for the first time. There had been reports of nefarious candy making characters, and I had gone to investigate. Turns out, the people making the candy wanted to poison the children and turn them into autons (because the poison itself was the stuff of which autons are made: living plastic). So after I had destroyed everything they were doing, I saw a lone piece of the candy in the hands of the baby. I took it from the kid and destroyed it right then and there." He took a deep breath then added, almost as an afterthought, "Of course, the kid's mother was right there when the baby started crying. Did I ever get the slap of a lifetime!"

Donna stared at the Doctor for a moment before saying, "You know, if anyone else told me that story, I wouldn't believe them. But since it's you…"

"Since it's me, and odd things happen around me, you do," the Doctor guessed.

"Correct."

"Right then." The Doctor clapped his hands together, and changed the subject. "Jamie, let's tell everyone what we've decided, eh?"

"Of course," said Jamie. He walked forward toward everyone and commanded their attention. Once he had got it, he let the Doctor come forward.

"Did you decide something?" asked Kevin.

"Yes, we did," said the Doctor. He raised his voice so that everyone in the room would be able to hear clearly. "Ok, everyone, here's the plan. When the three guards come in to give you all your meal, I want all of you to be up here and this end of the room. With my sonic screwdriver here, I can distract them. Then, I'll lead you all out of here and to the exit. Donna, Jamie, I want you two to follow behind and make sure nothing happens and everyone stays safe. I meant it when I said I don't want anyone to come to harm and no one will, not if I can help it."

"But how will we get out of the spaceship safely? We're pretty high up," said Dr. Ianson.

"You'll get out safely, I promise," the Doctor replied. "Anyway, I want you all to get some rest, you hear me? I'll let you all know when it's time to get on over here."

With that, everyone went about their usual business, or as usual as they could, considering where they were. While they waited, most of the room's occupants opted to get some rest, and so were sleeping quite soundly. Those who could not sleep (or did not feel tired enough), conversed with each other in whispered tones so as not to wake anyone. Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor were among the latter; Jamie and the Doctor were catching up, as it had been a long time since they had seen each other, while Donna listened.

The Doctor was currently telling Jamie about the Time War, due to Jamie's questioning of how the Doctor's fellow Time Lords were. Of course, the Doctor wasn't giving his former traveling companion every minute detail, but was giving enough information so that Jamie would be able to understand fully what had happened.

"So they all died?" said Jamie, stunned. "Every last one of them?"

The Doctor nodded sadly. "Yes. If I could have prevented them all from dying, then believe me, I would have. But I couldn't."

"I'm so sorry so hear that," said Jamie. "The Time Lords were fine people, from what I saw of them."

"When did you see them?" Donna asked.

"Hm? Oh… the Doctor took me and another companion of his, Zoe, to Gallifrey because he needed their help with catching whoever put on the War Games. Humans weren't allowed, but he did it anyway," said Jamie.

"Unfortunately, they were eager for me to come back," said the Doctor, "because I had stolen a TARDIS and was "interfering" in the course of human events, which Time Lords were sworn not to do. So needless to say I was in a bit of trouble. I only went back to them because I was just that desperate for help."

"Yeah, I remember you were reluctant," said Jamie. "But once we got there, the Time Lords treated Zoe and I very civilly. Although I think their civility lessened only a bit when Zoe and I tried to help you escape. By the way, Doctor, what did they do with you once they had sent Zoe and I back to our original times?"

"They forced me to regenerate," the Doctor replied. "And as part of my punishment, took knowledge of how to operate the TARDIS from me and exiled me to Earth, partially because they knew how much I loved it. I first became involved with UNIT because of all that, actually."

"Weird how those things happen," said Donna.

"Yeah," said the Doctor. He sighed.

"Still, it's a shame they're all gone now, your people," said Jamie.

"Actually, there was one other Time Lord, who I thought was dead until just a few years ago," said the Doctor. Jamie looked at him interestedly. "He called himself the Master. He escaped the Time War by running away, and it was by pure chance that I met up with him again." He proceeded to tell Jamie all about his encounter with the Master on Malcassairo and all the events that happened afterward, up until the Master lay dying in his arms. "I didn't want to be the last Time Lord in existence all over again; I couldn't bear the thought of being alone once more, not now that I had found a fellow Time Lord, even if he was a sworn enemy. I tried to get him to regenerate, but he refused, probably out of spite."

"And he died?"

"Yes," said the Doctor sadly. "And I was once again left on my own, the last of the Time Lords."

"Ahem," Donna coughed.

"Hm?" The Doctor turned to her.

"Aren't you forgetting something, time boy?" she said, giving him a significant look.

"What?" said the Doctor, confused. Then he remembered. "Oh! That's right!"

"What is it?" Jamie asked curiously.

The Doctor launched into an explanation, helped out occasionally by Donna, of how Donna had become a Time Lady. He explained about the planets being stolen, about the biological metacrisis, and how Donna had received the consciousness of a Time Lord. He told Jamie then, about how Donna's mind had begun to burn up, and how the only thing he could do was to take away all her memories of himself and her adventures with him. It was here that Donna told Jamie how she had seen the Doctor, recognized him as John Smith, not realizing who he really was, and had followed him and seen the TARDIS. Then the Doctor took over once more and told Jamie about how he had had to bring Donna inside the TARDIS and, out of desperation, had hooked her up to the Chameleon Arch (the Doctor gave some background information about it, so that Jamie would not be confused at all). By the time the Doctor was finished, Jamie was staring at both him and Donna, wide-eyed.

"So it malfunctioned and Donna became a Time Lord?" Jamie said at last, finding his voice.

Donna nodded. "Yeah. This space man here is no longer the last of the Time Lords."

The Doctor grinned, happy. "Indeed."

"Blimey!"

"I know, it's hard to imagine something like that happening," said the Doctor.

"You got that right!"

Donna laughed. "Life is never ordinary with the Doctor around."

"Too right it isn't," Jamie replied.

Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor continued talking until it was time for the morning meal to be brought. At one point, Fred broke away from Natasha and came over to the group. He talked with them for a while, and had a lively conversation with the Doctor about technological issues and detective-tactics, at the end of which the Doctor was nearly hopping up and down in cheerfulness.

"Brilliant kid; absolutely genius!" the Doctor said as Fred walked back to Natasha.

"Are you going to take him on as a companion?" Jamie asked.

"No," said the Doctor, more seriously. "It seems almost all of my traveling companions have gotten themselves hurt, all because of me. That kid has a lot of potential, and I don't want any harm coming to him."

"Understandable," said Jamie.

As the hours drew on, Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor continued talking, neither of them showing even the slightest hint of weariness. Finally, however, the time came, with only a couple or so minutes to go. The Doctor gathered everyone together and they waited in near silence, with bated breath, as the seconds ticked by. They all started when a lock clicked; for the room had been silent enough to hear a pin drop, so the sudden sound of a lock coming undone was a bit of a shock. The door slowly slid open and the three guards, carrying what looked like stale lumps of bread and medium-sized buckets of water.

The Doctor glared at them in fury, hating the thought that _human beings_ were being forced to eat this kind of thing. He glanced at Jamie, who gave an apologetic shrug, then focused his concentration on the guards. Once they were fully inside the room, the Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the first guard. He gave it one short click, then pointed it at the next guard, and the last one, and did the same. He breathed a sigh of relief when the guards walked to the opposite end of the room. Once they began setting everything down, the Doctor motioned for the group of prisoners to follow him, and stepped over the threshold and into the hallway.

Looking both ways, so as to make absolutely sure the coast was clear, the Doctor began making his way down the hall, followed by the other prisoners, paired in two's and three's in a line behind him. At the end of the line were Donna and Jamie, to make sure everyone stayed safe and unhindered in their escape. Donna made sure to keep a hold onto her sonic lipstick as well, to be on the safe side.

The Doctor reached the door to the stairwell and opened it. He stepped onto the landing and began heading downward. Everyone followed him silently, keeping their ears turned for any suspicious noises that might indicate their plans would be foiled. The entire time, as they were walking down the stairs, through the room with the strange metal instruments, and down the hall, Donna had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that something would go wrong; but, nothing did, and everyone reached the exit without incident.

Once they were at the exit, Donna and Jamie made their way forward to the Doctor. He was fiddling around with a control panel that had been hidden inside a wall next to the door.

"Any luck?" Donna asked.

"Yes," the Doctor replied. He put the screwdriver between his teeth and bit down to hold it in place; with his hands free, he began pulling out various colored wires, disconnecting them, then reattaching the ends to wires of different colors.

"What is it you're trying to do?" Jamie asked.

The Doctor took the screwdriver from his mouth and pointed it at the wires; they began melding together. "As it is now, there's no way for them to get back, because this exit here was designed for people to walk out of and step onto land while the spaceship was, well, landed. So, I'm rearranging these wires so I can make a transporter beam that will take these people back down to Earth."

"Like the one that took us up here in the first place?"

"No, Kevin," the Doctor replied. "Because unlike the two who run this ship, I'm very clever, and I know how to make a proper transporter beam. The one that took us all up here was shoddy at best."

Suddenly, distant noises could be heard from up ahead. Everyone looked up fearfully. The sounds grew slowly louder with each passing second.

"The images you planted have disappeared," said Donna. "They know we're gone."

"Yes, I know," said the Doctor. He hurriedly connected a few wires.

"But they'll catch us!" said Fred.

"No they won't, not if I can help it," the Doctor replied. He connected one more pair of wires, then sealed them together with the screwdriver. He shut the panel, stood up, and spoke in a loud enough voice so that everyone could hear. "Ok, everyone! I've rigged up a transporter beam. All you have to do is step out of the door and you'll find yourself back on Earth. I know it will seem like you're just going to fall through the air, but you won't, trust me! I know you're scared, I understand, but this is your only chance to escape!"

The sounds grew louder still.

"They're on the second stairway," said Fred, looking back fearfully.

"Then they'll be here any second, and they'll catch us all if we don't get out of here," said the Doctor. He opened the exit door and a rush of cool morning air hit them as light spilled into the hallway. "Get moving! _Now!_" The Doctor practically shouted these words, and the first person moved forward, stepped over the threshold into thin air, and vanished.

Everyone let out gasps, but the Doctor urged them on. Fred stepped forward, hand in hand with Natasha, and the two stepped outside and vanished. Then Kevin came forward, then Dr. Ianson, and each vanished as the transporter beam took them back to Earth.

The sounds of the guards came closer and closer. They were now on the last stairway and filing into the room with the metal instruments, and only a handful of people now remained.

"_Quicker!!"_ the Doctor shouted. The prisoners now left virtually ran toward the exit, and as the last person vanished, the Doctor turned to Donna and Jamie. "Now, I know you two aren't going to like this, but I want the both of you to go back to Earth."

"There's no way I'm leaving you, not now!" Donna nearly shouted.

"We're not leaving, Doctor!" Jamie protested.

"Don't argue, just do it!" The Doctor shouted. "Take shelter inside the TARDIS and wait for me there. I want to go have a few words first with our captors, first, then I'll meet you. I have to make them see reason, to convince them to stop! I _need_ to give them a chance, don't you see?"

"And if they don't, if they refuse, are you going to kill them?" Donna asked.

"I told you, Donna, I don't want any killing. I've done so much of it, and you can have no idea how much it really scars you. Killing affects you like your worst nightmare, only its real," said the Doctor. "So I will not kill them. I'm going to turn them into the Shadow Proclamation, and let them deal with Cadger and Davis."

"But, Doctor-" Donna began.

"Donna, listen to me," the Doctor said, speaking quickly. "I don't want any harm coming to you and Jamie, all right? I care about both of you so much. I don't want to lose either of you, especially you, Donna. I lost you once, I wouldn't be able to bear it if I lost you again." He gazed tenderly into her eyes.

They heard the door opening at the other end of the hallway, and looked up as the guards, now numbering six, spilled out over the threshold. There were shouts as they noticed the three people at the other end.

"They've seen us," said the Doctor. "Get out of here, now, both of you!"

"And I told you, I'm not leaving!" Donna protested. She stood her ground.

"Donna-" the Doctor growled.

"I'm not leaving, either," said Jamie firmly. "I didn't abandon you on Gallifrey, in your second incarnation, and I'm not going to do it now. And if you try to force us, I'll take your screwdriver and destroy the transporter beam. Now what's it going to be?"

As the Doctor search for something to say, he glanced at the guards; they were no more than ten feet away and closing. He gave an anguished glance at his two companions, who gazed at the Doctor defiantly. And then the guards reached them, cutting off any chance of escape.


	19. To Gain Intelligence

Thanks for the reviews, kira66, dreamcatcher386, DonnaLuvr, and Whas'up!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 19: To Gain Intelligence**

oOo

_They heard the door opening at the other end of the hallway, and looked up as the guards, now numbering six, spilled out over the threshold. There were shouts as they noticed the three people at the other end._

"_They've seen us," said the Doctor. "Get out of here, now, both of you!"_

"_And I told you, I'm not leaving!" Donna protested. She stood her ground._

"_Donna-" the Doctor growled._

"_I'm not leaving, either," said Jamie firmly. "I didn't abandon you on Gallifrey, in your second incarnation, and I'm not going to do it now. And if you try to force us, I'll take your screwdriver and destroy the transporter beam. Now what's it going to be?"_

_As the Doctor search for something to say, he glanced at the guards; they were no more than ten feet away and closing. He gave an anguished glance at his two companions, who gazed at the Doctor defiantly. And then the guards reached them, cutting off any chance of escape._

oOo

"Party's over, you three," said one of the guards somewhat harshly. He gestured to the others. "Take them."

The guards split up into three groups of two, and a pair each approached Jamie, Donna, and the Doctor. The guards roughly grabbed a hold of each prisoner, with threats that, if they tried to escape, they would be punished, and began marching then toward the stairwell.

"Where are you taking us?" Donna asked.

"The bosses," replied one of the guards holding her.

"Cadger and Davis?" said the Doctor.

"That's right," the guard replied with a snarl. "Now keep quiet or I'll smash your head in!"

"Ooh, nice threat," said the Doctor. "So what happens if I keep quiet? Would you still smash my head in? More specifically, where "in" would you smash my head? Because your use of the word "in" implies that you'll smash it inside somewhere, or something. Like, I could say I'd smash my head in a space ship! Or that I'd smash my head in a pickle jar; meaning, I'd literally put my head inside a pickle jar, then smash it there. Or when you say you'll smash my head in, do you mean that you'll take my head in your hands and smash my skull? Don't be so vague. You've really got to be more specific, because I'm confused."

The guards who had been with Donna and the Doctor earlier rolled their eyes, and one of them muttered under his breath, "Here we go again."

"I mean it, I'm confused. I would hope that with your stellar people skills you'd be able to word your, well, _words_ more carefully and in a more professional manner. Because speaking in a threatening tone like that just isn't professional. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to be professional about it," the Doctor babbled on. He seemed oblivious to the guards' facial expressions, which slowly went from annoyance to sheer irritation. "Yep, professional. Professional is definitely the way to do it, wouldn't you agree? Professional is as professional does, I always say. Well, not always. But you get my meaning. Professional, professional, professional. Hey! I know a professional! Donna, here! She's a great professional, especially when it comes to secretarial work. She was a temp, you know. Isn't that right, Donna?"

"It's true," Donna replied. "Shorthand. Hundred words per minute."

"Supertemp. Great temp. I love temps."

"Will you _shut up?!_" One of the guards hissed, but the Doctor ignored him, and instead rambled on.

"Yep, temps are the best; they sure are. And then there's university professors. Great people, professors! I admire a person who's able to hold a class's attention with the mysteries and wonders of learning various subjects. Of course, I know exactly how that is, because I've taught a few university classes myself. I love university students; so eager to learn things that will be sure to help them in their later careers!" The Doctor was nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet, and seemed almost indecently cheerful, given the current circumstances. "I've also taught a few primary school classes. The thing I like abut primary school kids is that while their so eager to learn, it's a different kid of eagerness. Like their minds are still growing and being formed, unlike university students, who's minds are already set in their ways. No offense to university students, of course. But primary school students are better able to grasp some of the more abstract ideas. Of course, they were on Krillitane oil at the time, so I know that had something to do with it, but still, the principle of the matter is that their minds are still growing, still gaining intelligence and-"

One of guards holding onto the Doctor stopped and slammed the Doctor up against the wall, ignoring the shouts of Donna and Jamie. He leaned in close, so that the Doctor could feel the guard's breath upon his face, smell it just as plain as anything.

"What have I done now?" the Doctor said, in a seemingly confused voice.

The guard breathed on the Doctor. "One more word-"

"And what?" asked the Doctor. "You'll _breathe _on me? Have you ever considered brushing your teeth? It would do wonders on your breath." The Doctor reached inside his jacket and pulled out a toothbrush and miniature tube of toothpaste. Ever so innocently, he handed them to the guard. The guard stared at the two objects for a moment, then pushed them out of the Doctor's hand and to the ground. The Doctor stared at the toothbrush and toothpaste for a moment, then glanced back up at the guard. "Well now, if you didn't like teeth brushing, you could have told me. Pushing them out of my hand like that was rude. Perhaps mouthwash?"

The guard snarled and shook the Doctor, nearly slamming him once more against the wall. Ignoring Donna's and Jamie's gasps, he pushed the Doctor up the wall, so that he was actually lifted off of the ground a couple of inches. "I swear to you, _one more word,_ and I _will _make you wish you'd never been born! You got that?"

"Ah well, you see," said the Doctor, growing slightly serious, "I've already wished I was never born before, several times in fact. After one of my companions was stuck in another universe, after I ruined a previous companion's family for life, and after I had to wipe memories from another companion so she wouldn't die. Oh, and when I destroyed my home planet to end the Time War, thus killing all my people, including friends, relatives, and family members. So you're a little late in that department."

The guard snarled in exasperation and let go. The Doctor slid to the ground and was picked up roughly by the two guards who had been holding onto him. Donna made to go toward him, but the guards held her in place.

"Let's get on with this," said one of the two holding Donna.

The rest of the way to the control room, the Doctor remained silent, staring off into the distance. Donna and Jamie watched him with some concern; they were heartened, however, when the Doctor gave them a reassuring wink.

"Here we are," one of the guards said at last.

Donna and the Doctor looked up at the familiar door they had been through, not too many hours before. Jamie looked at it in wonderment.

"Bit opulent, don't ya think?" he said.

"Cadger and Davis like their luxury, apparently," the Doctor replied.

"I'll show them luxury when I get through with them."

"Donna…"

"Sorry."

One of the guards holding Jamie let go and stepped forward to open the door. The group was greeted by Davis, who told the guards there would be no need for them anymore. After the guards had left and closed the door behind them, Davis led Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor further into the room. Cadger, who was at the controls and looking at something on a screen, gestured vaguely at Davis.

"Stay here," Davis said. "And if any of you try to escape…_again_… I will personally see to it that you're lives are made a living hell."

"Fortunately my life has already been a living hell before now," said the Doctor. "And I doubt anything you do to me will compare. But I'll spare you the details."

"See that you do," said Davis. He walked over to where Cadger was standing and looked at the screen. The two pointed at it a few times and discussed whatever it was they were seeing in hushed tones so that no one else could hear them. When they were finished, both Cadger and Davis approached Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?" Donna asked after a moment.

"She's right you know," said the Doctor. "To bring us up here and not even say a word is rude. Shame on you."

"That was a nice trick you pulled, Doctor," said Cadger, a neutral expression on his face. It was hard to tell whether or not he was angry, or how angry he was. "Fooling my guards into thinking you were waiting quietly in the prison room, while in reality you all snuck out, right behind their backs. I commend you."

"Why, thank you."

"I wasn't finished, yet, Doctor," Cadger said. He sneered. "I hadn't expected your sonic screwdriver to work, but I was wrong. Oh yes, I know all about your screwdriver. I thought I had put enough protection on this space ship to block that kind of sonic technology; unfortunately, it did not block all of it."

"Good for you," said Jamie.

"Yes," said Cadger. "As soon as I learned of what you and the rest of the prisoners had done, I magnified the protection against sonic technology a hundred fold. Unfortunately I didn't do it in time to prevent everyone from escaping, but at least I snagged you three. And since the barriers are up, there's no escaping."

"Pity," said the Doctor.

"Yes, it's a real shame, is it not?" Davis replied.

"There's something I'm wondering about," Donna said. "The transporter beam. We talked to a few people, and they said they had appeared on different places on the ship."

"Ah yes, that," said Cadger. "The transporter beam, during initial test runs, had been malfunctioning. So Davis and I took it to the planet where our ship was manufactured to get it fixed."

"And a fine job, your mechanic did," the Doctor said, hands in his pockets.

"Our mechanic did fix it," Cadger said. "But on another planet we went to afterward, there was a girl there who found out what Davis and I were going to do here on Earth. She tried to destroy the transporter beams to render our mission un-doable; Davis and I didn't have enough time to go back and have it fixed because we had to get here and get started. Anyway, as a result, the transporter beam was rather inaccurate. Our original intention was to have you all transported directly to the prison room."

"Yeah, we females can do that," said Donna.

"I wonder who that girl was?" the Doctor mused. "I must commend her effort."

Cadger shrugged. "All I know is that she was blonde. Said she was looking for her dad; called herself Jenny."

Fortunately Cadger had turned to look at the screen and so missed the pained look on the Doctor's face. When he turned back to the group, the Doctor had wiped the expression from his face and was now grinning good-naturedly at Cadger and Davis.

"Lucky we didn't have to resort to the old default, though, that's something," Davis mused.

"What default?" Jamie asked.

"Hm? Oh. Davis and I made it so that, in case our plan went awry, the ship would self-destruct, Davis and I with it. And the guards, as well. If Davis and I abandoned ship and didn't destroy it, the Shadow Proclamation would know it was ours. So we figured destroying it and ourselves was the better option."

"But we're all still here," said Donna.

"That's because the plan hasn't gone fully awry yet," said Cadger.

"What do you mean?"

"All in good time. First, however, to get back to our conversation from earlier," said Cadger. "I bet you are all wonder what the whole point of this is supposed to be. Am I right? Well, Davis and I are something like plasmavores. Judging by your expression, Doctor, you already know what a plasmavore is, but for the sake of your girlfriend here- oh yes," he said with a smirk. "You two have been tracked rather closely. But getting back on topic. Miss Noble, plasmavores basically suck up other people's blood, much like a vampire, in order to retain a life force for themselves. Only Davis and I, instead of sucking blood, suck intelligence. You see, intelligence is what we live off of. It helps keep our brains active and up to speed, able to handle any information that comes our way. For example: if we were to gain the intelligence of a Time Lord, all we'd have to do is "gain" more intelligence from humans down on Earth (or any other planet), and we'd be able to handle a Time Lord consciousness."

"But…wait a moment," said Donna. "When I gained the Time Lord consciousness, it started burning me up. The Doctor, here, had to wipe my memories of him in order to save me."

"And then when you remembered him, you started burning up again. So, he put you on the Chameleon Arch and accidentally turned you into a Time Lord. Well, Time _Lady,_" Cadger finished.

"Wait…how did you know?" the Doctor asked, narrowing his eyes.

Davis said, as if it were obvious, "I told you. We've been tracking the two of you."

Cadger smiled. "Exactly."

"Tracking?" said Jamie. "Why have you been tracking them? More importantly, why?"

"Good question, Jamie."

"Thanks, Doctor."

"We'll get to that in a minute," said Cadger. He continued from were he had left off previously. "Like I was saying, my colleague and I needed to "gain" intelligence. So we formulated a plan and put it into action, to put it simply. I got a position at England's most prestigious university and a back-up job in case Plan A at Oxford went awry. Then we did an intelligence scan for the smartest students and started plucking them up like daisies. Of course, things didn't all go according to plan. We had planned to take an individual student when no one was around, but when people started noticing, we had to take whoever had seen someone else be taken. Eventually, our stock of intelligence became diluted enough as to render it almost uneffective."

"So why didn't you just return everyone, sans memory of being here?" the Doctor asked.

Cadger shrugged. "Some intelligence is better than no intelligence, don't you think?"

"Of course…" said the Doctor. He trailed off, looking thoughtful. "And when you were done with the prisoners, done sucking every ounce of their intelligence, you intended to take them to the back door and dump them onto the Earth?" His eyes flashed with fury.

"Something like that," said Davis.

"Yes," said Cadger. "We would've had no use for the bodies after we were done; they would be waste matter, and why keep around that when you don't need to? So we had planned to dump them out through the exit door, and let them fall to the earth below. Of course, they wouldn't know it because they'd already be dead."

"But that's sick!" said Donna, disgusted and horrified. "Both of you are just plain sick! You're barbaric!"

"To each his own," said Cadger simply, although with a subtle hint of danger.

"_Why?_"

"I think I know," said the Doctor. "May I?"

"You may," Cadger replied. His eyes flashed for a moment.

"First, though, I want to know something."

"Yes?"

"You keep saying you've been following me and Donna."

"Ah, yes," said Cadger. "You see, I'd been tracking you because I knew the intelligence you had could satisfy Davis and myself for centuries. I was certainly not expecting Miss Noble, here, to become a Time Lord as well, but it was a welcome surprise. Imagine! The intelligence from, not one, but now _two_ Time Lords would last for almost an eternity! It was too good of a chance to pass up! I tried taking Miss Noble up one night, hoping you would follow after her, but I wasn't able to. I was quite pleasantly surprised, then, when you practically signaled your position tonight! I was overjoyed! Sure, I had gone to check on the prisoners, but I have a device with me that I set to let me know when you two were found. So imagine how happy I was when you two were finally brought up here."

There was a pause, during which both Donna and Jamie stared at Cadger and Davis, very much wanting to murder them. The Doctor gave Donna and Jamie a warning glance before speaking.

"You say that some intelligence is better than none, hence your reason for keeping every so-called "prisoner" on board. But you've gone without your foodstuff, intelligence, for such a long time, that you were desperate enough to come to a level five planet to pull it off, not to mention kidnapping the last two Gallifreyans in existence. If the Shadow Proclamation found out, they'd be sure to send you to be executed. But you did it anyway, because you were hungry enough to do so." The Doctor paused. With each word he spoke, his fury grew, to the point he was nearly shaking with rage. "I pity you. Moreso than that, I pity the lives that have been kidnapped because of your sick game. Brilliant, amazing humans, taken down because of your selfish desires! Whatever you may be feeling right now, gentlemen, I don't care. Because you know what? You are nothing, Cadger, Davis, nothing! Your so-called prisoners are much better that you'll ever be. For all you've done, I've got one last thing to say. No more will you crack open their skulls and drink up their intelligence. No more. You deserve death, just as much as they deserve life. And I hope very much I can give that to you."

Cadger sneered. "How quaint, Doctor. Unfortunately, since you let all my prisoners escape, you two will just have to do. Or, you three, I should say." He glanced at Jamie.

"Over my dead body!" Jamie snarled, moving forward.

"_Jamie, no!"_ shouted the Doctor.

Clyde chuckled, an evil look in his eyes. "Wise move," he said. "Of course, even though Davis and I drink up intelligence to gain life and more intelligence and such, we don't like to drink up anything from trouble-makers. Makes it less effective."

"So what are you going to do with us instead?" Jamie asked.

"Kill you," said Cadger. Davis began laughing, and it made the hairs in the backs of Donna's, the Doctor's, and Jamie's necks stand up. "Of course, drinking up memories does indeed kill a person anyway, but it's so much better to say you'll kill someone, then let them worry about how they'll go. Which brings up another point. Davis and I had been going to kill everyone else anyway, Doctor," here, Cadger gave a nod in the Doctor's direction, "before you and your little friend and girlfriend. We had been planning to make you watch it all, but I guess we can't do that now. But, it's always good to have a Plan B, which I do. So, Davis and I will kill all three of you. Of course, you'll go last, Mr. McCrimmon. I want you to see you're beloved Doctor die with your own eyes."

"You won't be able to kill the Doctor," said Jamie.

"Oh you see, there you are quite wrong," said Cadger, calmly and with the air of a teacher speaking to a pupil. "You see, I figured I'd kill Miss Noble first, just to rile up the Doctor. Then I'd kill him, and then you."

"But they'll just regenerate," said Jamie.

"I wouldn't count on that." And from out of an inside pocket, Cadger, grinning like a mad man, pulled a device which made the Doctor gasp.

"Doctor?" Donna's eyes lingered on him, concern in their gaze. "What is it?"

"Why don't you explain to your lover here what this is?" Cadger said to the Doctor. "If you don't then I will be more than happy to. Your choice."

The Doctor gulped, looked as though he was about to speak, then paused. He stared at the device, which was more of a gun than anything, only it wasn't like any other gun he had seen. The only time he had ever seen this particular gun was when he was being held captive on the Valiant: a gun, with four separate liquid components. Only then, the gun had only had three of the components; the one Cadger had now was fitted with all four.

The Doctor tried to find the right words to use. After a moment longer, still staring at the gun device, he finally said, "Each of those liquids are rather harmless when separate. But when used together, they are deadly. Deadly enough to kill a Time Lord permanently."

Donna and Jamie gasped.

"You're _joking!_" Donna said.

The Doctor turned to Donna, a stony seriousness etched into the very lines of his face. "Do I look like I'm kidding?" He turned to Cadger. "How did you get that? The last time I saw it was on board the Valiant, with only three components. How did you find the fourth component and get the gun?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal much of that, Doctor," Cadger replied with an apologetic smile. "I can only say that it was given to Davis and I, both the gun and all four components."

"But _who?_" said Jamie.

"Like I told your Doctor friend here, I can't reveal that information."

Davis looked at the screen on the console and looked pointedly at Cadger. "Don't you think we had better hurry this along?"

"Yes, Davis, you are quite right," said Cadger. He lifted the gun and pointed it directly at Donna. "You first. Any last words? No? Too bad. Well, it was nice knowing you, Miss Noble. Good bye." He pulled the trigger.

At almost the same exact moment, the Doctor gave a shout of fury and pushed Donna out of the way, taking her place. The shot which had been meant for her hit him instead, and as the Doctor slumped to the ground, colors swirled all around and began to darken. The last thing he remembered was two-fold: a shout of utmost fury as Jamie tackled their captors and scream of horror as Donna rushed toward him. And then, all faded to darkness as the Doctor felt his very life force draining away.


	20. Doctor Down

Thanks for the reviews, xAngelus's Darlax, DonnaLuvr, dreamcatcher386, and Whas'up!!!!!

**Note:** Yes, I realize the gun used to shoot at the Doctor wasn't actually real in the tv show; but, I decided to make it real for this fic.

oOo

**Chapter 20: Doctor Down**

oOo

_Davis looked at the screen on the console and looked pointedly at Cadger. "Don't you think we had better hurry this along?"_

"_Yes, Davis, you are quite right," said Cadger. He lifted the gun and pointed it directly at Donna. "You first. Any last words? No? Too bad. Well, it was nice knowing you, Miss Noble. Good bye." He pulled the trigger._

_At almost the same exact moment, the Doctor gave a shout of fury and pushed Donna out of the way, taking her place. The shot which had been meant for her hit him instead, and as the Doctor slumped to the ground, colors swirled all around and began to darken. The last thing he remembered was two-fold: a shout of utmost fury as Jamie tackled their captors and scream of horror as Donna rushed toward him. And then, all faded to darkness as the Doctor felt his very life force draining away._

oOo

Donna reached the Doctor just as his eyes were closing; she could see the fear and shock in their gaze; fear, perhaps, of going into the unknown and shock at the fact that he was dying, _actually_ dying and not regenerating as he normally would have done. The moment she reached the Doctor, Donna knelt down and placed an arm around the back of his shoulders and another arm in front so that she was holding him. And as Donna sat there, the worst, sickening feeling of fear and horror building up inside her, she felt the Doctor's body go limp.

As she started weeping almost uncontrollably, she felt Jamie kneel down beside her and place a consoling hand on her shoulder. Squeezing it gently, he gave a nearly inaudible sniff as he said, "Come on. We'd better get out of here before the ship blows up."

Donna shook her head. "No; I can't leave him!"

"We can bring him with us and give him a proper burial," Jamie replied. "But we _need_ to hurry!"

Donna gave a watery sniff and nodded, wiping her eyes with her hand. "Fine."

"You take his upper torso, and I'll get a hold if his legs. Then we'll carry him to the exit."

Donna nodded, and she and Jamie each grabbed hold of the Doctor and lifted him up. Donna gazed at the Doctor's face, his eyes closed. He appeared to be merely sleeping, or almost as though he were unconscious. Wait a minute…_unconscious?_ Suddenly, hope rose within Donna.

"Jamie, quick, put him down."

"Donna, we can't we've got to get the Doctor and ourselves out of here!"

"Just for a minute, that's all!" Donna protested. "I just want to check something real quick."

Jamie sighed and conceded. Slowly, he and Donna lowered the Doctor back down. As soon as the Doctor lay on the ground, Donna began checking all of his vital signs: anyplace where a pulse might be felt, as well as any indications of whether or not the Doctor was breathing. If she had still been human, Donna might not have been successful, for humans do not have as acute of senses as Time Lords. But, since she was a Time Lady, she could detect things that normal humans could not.

While Donna checked the Doctor's vital signs, Jamie went to pick up the gun Cadger had used; placing it in his belt, he walked back over to Donna.

"Found anything?" he asked.

Donna didn't answer. She shook her head for Jamie to be quiet as she checked the Doctor's pulse. Nothing. Trying not to panic or lose hope, she checked to see if he was even breathing. Again nothing. Donna took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm.

"Donna," said Jamie. "He's dead. As much as I hate to say it, it's true. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry." He added the past part in a voice so quiet Donna didn't even hear it.

"No, there is something we can do," Donna said. She began rifling through his jacket pockets, searching for something. Pulling out a stethoscope, she placed the earpieces in her ears, and the round metal part on the Doctor's chest. Donna placed all her concentration on finding a sign…any sign, even the tiniest…then, just as her hope began to dwindle… _thumpthump thumpthump_. The quietest sound that might have been missed on any other occasion came to Donna's ears, like sweet music being played. Donna rejoiced, as happy as anyone could possibly be, "I _knew _it!"

"Knew what?" Jamie asked, confused.

"The Doctor _isn't_ dead!" Donna exclaimed. "As a Time Lady, I now have more sensitive hearing that I used to, and I heard his hearts beating _slightly_ just now!"

Jamie was stunned. "But I thought…"

"Well, you thought wrong! We both did!"

"But that's… that's great!" Jamie could hardly believe his ears, yet in his heart he knew it was true. "But even if he is still alive-"

"Life is still draining from him," said Donna. She listened to his hearts beating once more. "They're growing fainter."

"Then we need to get him help as soon as possible," said Jamie. "Come on, let's lift him up."

So saying, Donna and Jamie lifted the Doctor up from the floor and began carrying im out of the room; as they passed through the doorway, Donna happened to look back at the place where Cadger and Davis had been standing; they were now laying on the ground, utterly still.

Jamie saw where she was looking and said, "I didn't have a choice. They would have killed us all otherwise."

Donna nodded. "I understand."

"Where are we going to get help for the Doctor?" Jamie asked as they moved down the hall. "Because I know UNIT won't be able to help with what's wrong with him."

"We can take him to Torchwood," said Donna. "And we'd better hurry or none of us will get out here alive." For a voice recording had just announced that there was only five minutes until self-destruction.

Donna and Jamie were slowed up once they reached the stairs, for carrying the Doctor was harder work than either of them thought; as such, when they reached the exit, only thirty-five seconds remained.

"Quick, hurry!" Donna urged, for Jamie had taken hold of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, and was now holding it up to the control panel.

"I am," said Jamie. He clicked the screwdriver on and off alternately until the transporter beam had been reactivated. Then he opened the exit door.

"Wait a moment," said Donna.

Jamie looked incredulous. "We only have twenty seconds!"

"I know that, you dunce, I heard the voice announcement," Donna replied. She held up her sonic lipstick and, pointing it at the panel, clicked it on, then off. Stowing it back in her pocket, she said, "Ok, let's go!"

As they picked up the Doctor once more, Jamie ventured to ask before stepping outside, "What did you do with that?"

"I programmed it to take us to the TARDIS," Donna replied. The voice announcement said that there was only ten seconds left to self-destruction. "NOW MOVE OR I"LL SHOVE YOU OUT!"

And with that, Jamie and Donna, carrying the Doctor, stepped outside and vanished.

The next thing any of them knew they were laying on cool green grass, with the morning sun and cool breeze playing across their faces. Even though they had previously been standing, the impact of the landing had caused them to stumble and fall over. Donna and Jamie jumped up in an instant and looked around; they were in the little cove of trees where the TARDIS had landed in what seemed ages ago, but what was actually just a few hours.

"Let's get him inside," said Donna. "I don't think the Doctor will last much longer." And indeed, it was true; even though she no longer had the stethoscope, she knew the Doctor's time was drawing closer and closer to a permanent end, with each passing second.

Donna and Jamie picked up the Doctor and carried him as fast as they could toward the TARDIS. Donna kicked the doors open and, just as she and Jamie were crossing over the threshold, a gigantic _BOOM_ reverberated throughout the vicinity. They looked up, and what met their eyes was a gigantic fireball, just a few hundred feet over their heads. People began screaming in the distance, thinking it was some kind of attack. Hurriedly, Donna and Jamie crossed over into the TARDIS and closed the doors behind them.

"Let's lay him down by the console," said Donna.

Jamie nodded, and the two carried the Doctor over to the console and laid him down on the floor. For one moment, Donna couldn't help but remember the time, just a few months previously, when the Doctor had been shot by a dalek, and lay in this exact same spot, dying and about to regenerate. Trying to focus on the matter at hand, however, Donna shook the thought from her mind and began flipping switches and twiddling dials on the console.

o

Jack Harkness and the rest of the Torchwood team were currently relaxing in the Hub. They had just got back from dealing with a pesky weavle colony. Although, "dealing" actually meant that they had had to exterminate the lot of them, since they had begun harming innocent civilians; nonetheless, after this particular adventure, which had, in reality, been quite strenuous, the entire Torchwood team was in need of a rest. They felt they needed it, since they were all nearly spent.

"Ianto!" Jack shouted up the stairs. He, Gwen, and Martha were sitting down on the Hub's couch while Mickey and Rhys lounged in a couple of chairs. Rhys had joined the team shortly after Martha and Mickey, and made a great addition, what with some of the connections he had. "IANTO!"

"Ow! Jack, don't yell in my ear," said Martha.

"Sorry, Martha," Jack replied. He then shouted Ianto's name once more.

"I'm coming!" came the reply from somewhere up above. "The coffee maker isn't quite up to date anymore. And neither am I."

"So should I trade you in for a younger model?" Jack yelled back, laughing. He glanced at Mickey.

"Don't even think about it, Captain Cheesecake," said Mickey. Martha and Gwen laughed.

"No, that's all right," Ianto shouted in reply. His steps came closer and Ianto finally came into view, carrying what looked like a rather heavy tray of mugs full of piping hot coffee. Setting on a nearby table, he began doling out mugs to the rest of the team.

Jack took a sip after Ianto handed him a mug. "Ahh, delicious! And this coffee isn't bad, either," he said, causing more laughter.

"Just don't get all lovey-dovey on us while I'm drinking my coffee," said Mickey.

"You're no fun," said Jack, pretending to pout.

"Get all lovey-dovey and you'll find out how much fun I am," Mickey replied, causing Jack and Ianto to laugh. "Do whatever it is you do in the privacy of your own bedroom."

"He has a point, you know," said Ianto.

"Come on, you two," said Gwen. "You can do that later; right now we need to do the debriefing."

"Can't we just do it here?" Jack said.

"If you want," Gwen replied. "You're the leader."

"That's right, I am," said Jack, pretending to have just remembered. "Ok, everyone, the debriefing. What did we-"

But Jack never got to finish his sentence, for a familiar wheezing sound (familiar, at least, to himself, Martha, and Mickey) reached the team's ears, and not one second later, a blue police box began to materialize just a few feet away from them.

"What in the world?" said Martha.

"I wonder why the Doctor decided to pay us a visit?" said Mickey.

"I don't know," said Martha. "He doesn't usually drop by unless it's something serious, doesn't he?"

"Usually. I've never known him to stop by just for a chat," Jack replied. "But whatever it is, it looks like we're about to find out." For the TARDIS had finished materializing completely, and now stood in the Hub in its solidified form. Jack raised his voice and shouted, "DOCTOR?"

Just then, the TARDIS doors opened and a man in his mid-fifties stepped out, followed closely by Donna.

"Don't tell me you went and regenerated, Doc," said Jack. "Although next time, could you try regenerating into someone younger? Not that I'm attracted or anything, but it's nice having _something_ to look at."

"Och, aye!" said Jamie. "I'm not the Doctor!"

"Jack," said Donna urgently. "We haven't got time for any of that."

Right then, Jack noticed the panic in her eyes and grew serious. Getting up from the couch, he said, "Donna, what's happened? What's wrong?"

Donna shook her head. "It's the Doctor, he's…he's been hurt. Badly. I don't know how long he's got…" Jamie placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"Where is he?" Jack asked.

Donna lowered her head, unable to speak. Jamie answered for her.

"He's back there, in the TARDIS," Jamie said. "Donna and I did what we could, but she figured your place here would have better luck."

"Right," said Jack. He turned to the rest of the team. "Martha, come with me. You- what's your name?"

"Jamie."

"Jamie. You come with Martha and I," said Jack. More gently, he added, "Donna, you can stay here. Ianto can make you a cup of coffee. Gwen, stay with her, please."

Gwen nodded, and Jack, Jamie, and Martha dashed quickly into the TARDIS. The moment Jack stepped over the threshold, he saw the Doctor laying there, on the floor, completely still. He hurried up to him, Martha and Jamie close behind.

"Oh no-" Martha began as soon as she saw the Doctor. She immediately knelt down and began examining him.

"What happened?" Jack asked Jamie. "I need to know everything."

"That can wait," said Martha. "We need to get him to the med bay right now. He's still alive, but if we wait even one minute longer, he'll die. Now I don't know much about Time Lords, but I do know that much."

"Of course," said Jack. "Right, let's pick him up then, and carry him. Jamie and I can do it. Martha, I want you to head over to the med bay now and get everything ready."

"Way ahead of you, Jack," said Martha. With that, she quickly exited the TARDIS and ran to the med bay.

As she was leaving, Jack and Jamie lifted the Doctor and carried him as quickly as they dared out of the TARDIS and into the Hub. As soon as Mickey saw the Doctor, he swore and got up from his seat to lend a hand. Donna and Gwen soon followed and by the time they arrived, the Doctor was already laying on the examining table. His jacket was hanging on a hook nearby and his shirt was completely unbuttoned, exposing his chest and torso. Martha was hard at work pulling down vials and tubing, various needles, and other medical instruments while Jack took note of everything and brought what was needed to a tray next to the examining table.

Donna took one look at the Doctor, laying there, dying and utterly helpless, and rushed toward him. Jack did nothing to get in her way; nor did Martha as she put on a stethoscope and began listening for a heartbeat. Ignoring everyone around her, Donna ran her fingers through the Doctor's hair and gave him a quick, loving kiss. Then, noticing what Martha was doing, she said, "I've already done that."

"Did you use the Doctor's stethoscope?" Martha asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"That's just an ordinary stethoscope," said Martha. "This one is different. Jack fixed it up so that it would be able to detect more than just hearts beating."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

"I'll answer for her," said Jack. He walked over to Donna and placed an arm around her shoulders. "With the amount of aliens Torchwood brings in, I knew we'd need something more than just any old stethoscope. So I rigged up a nice little system that enabled that stethoscope to detect, not only heartbeats, but also anything else that might be wrong."

"Anything?"

"Anything," Jack confirmed. "It's like a little Doctor. Detects any symptom whatsoever. Of course, it doesn't tell you how to treat the symptoms it finds, but that's why we've got Martha here. Speaking of which…" Jack turned to Martha. "What have you found?"

Martha shook her head. "His entire system is shutting down. Respiratory, digestive, vital organs, the lot. He hasn't got much chance."

"Well, keep bloody trying, then!" Donna said, nearly shouting.

"I am," said Martha, and indeed she was. She had just rolled up the Doctor's sleeve and inserted a tube into his arm, and was now inserting a clear-colored liquid into it. Everyone watched as it went down the tubing and into the Doctor's arm.

"Is nothing supposed to happen?" Donna asked fearfully.

"That was meant to stabilize him," said Martha. "It should give me a little more time to find something to cure him."

"That's good then!" said Donna.

Martha nodded. "But to do that, I'm going to have to know _exactly_ what happened to him."


	21. The Antidote

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oOo

**Chapter 21: The Antidote**

oOo

_Martha shook her head. "His entire system is shutting down. Respiratory, digestive, vital organs, the lot. He hasn't got much chance."_

"_Well, keep bloody trying, then!" Donna said, nearly shouting._

"_I am," said Martha, and indeed she was. She had just rolled up the Doctor's sleeve and inserted a tube into his arm, and was now inserting a clear-colored liquid into it. Everyone watched as it went down the tubing and into the Doctor's arm. _

"_Is nothing supposed to happen?" Donna asked fearfully._

"_That was meant to stabilize him," said Martha. "It should give me a little more time to find something to cure him."_

"_That's good then!" said Donna._

_Martha nodded. "But to do that, I'm going to have to know _exactly_ what happened to him."_

oOo

"Everything?" Donna asked.

"Everything," Martha confirmed.

As Donna spoke, telling Martha what happened, giving her every single detail (helped occasionally by Jamie when the story became too tough to tell), Jack and the rest of the Torchwood team listened on. Once Donna was finished, Jack asked to see the gun.

"Why d'you want to see it?" Donna asked.

"I'll tell you in a moment," said Jack. He repeated the request and Jamie handed the gun to him. "Thanks."

"No problem," Jamie replied.

As Jack examined the gun, he expressed his surprised at it actually working; for he thought the Doctor had just been making it up. Martha thought likewise, and the two wondered why the Doctor had never told them that it was really real. They concluded it was because the Doctor didn't want either of them getting any ideas about killing Time Lords, namely the Master, and so neglected to impart that information onto his traveling companions at the time.

Jack slowly turned the gun over in his hands and began jiggling the tubes, which now held only a tiny amount of the liquid components each. As he did so, he said, "Tell me again, Jamie. These liquids are deadly when combined, yet when used apart, are harmless, correct?"

"That's right," said Jamie.

"Hm…"

"What is it, Jack?" said Martha.

"I'm just wondering," Jack replied. He held the tubes closer to his eyes and looked at them up close.

"While he's doing that, I'm going to check up on the Doctor," Martha said. And so saying, she went back to the Doctor and began re-examining him. Her expression grew grim. "Jack, if we don't find something soon to help him, he's not going to make it."

Donna sat down in a nearby chair and placed her head in her hands; Jamie placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a consoling squeeze.

"I know that," said Jack.

"Then what are you doing?" Martha asked

For Jack had begun taking the tubes off of the gun and inspecting them individually. Once he was finished with one, he placed it on the silver tray next to the Doctor's bedside. He did this with each of the first three, but when he got to the fourth tube, he let out a triumphant shout. "Yes! I knew it! I knew it had to be something like this!"

Startled, Donna and Jamie looked up at him.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

"What did you find?" said Mickey.

Grinning, Jack held up the last tube, which held no liquid component. "What to know the reason the Doctor isn't dead?"

"Why?" asked Martha.

"Because this tube here had a leak," said Jack simply. His grin broadened at the shocked looks on everyone else's faces. "There's a small crack, tiny, but just large enough to allow some of the component to leak out. I guess our friends Cadger and Davis weren't careful enough with the gun as they should've been. But it's lucky for us, don't you think?"

"But…so you're saying…?"

"What I'm saying is that this gun was rendered essentially harmless in that it couldn't kill; although it still is deadly."

"So even though the components didn't kill the Doctor right away, he could still die if we don't get him the help he needs," said Martha.

"Exactly," said Jack. "But the question is, how do we do that?"

Donna's head popped up. "We make an antidote. We take the remaining components, mix them together, add water, hydrogen peroxide, and radiated mercury, and we'll have an antidote!"

Jack stared at her. "That's brilliant! How did you come up with that?"

"She-" Jamie began, but he changed tack when Donna stared at him. "She has her ways."

"Part Time Lord, part human, eh?" said Jack.

"That's right!" Donna lied.

"Brilliant!" Jack said gleefully. "You and Martha can work on that, then!"

"Right," said Donna. "Shouldn't take us long."

"Wait…" said Mickey. "Radiated mercury? That's poison, isn't it?"

"For humans, yes," said Jamie. "But not for Time Lords."

"Exactly," said Donna. "Now, stop bothering us because we need to concentrate."

Jamie smirked when Mickey raised his hands in defense. He watched on as Donna and Martha worked on making an antidote to the poison coursing itself through the Doctor's veins, making sure that they were not bothered. He occasionally gave some assistance, for having traveled with the Doctor himself, he knew a bit about what to do in these types of situations. Other than that, he stood by and watched the progress.

While Jamie watched, accompanied much of the time by Jack, the rest of the Torchwood team remained closeby, wanting to be near if anything changed. Ianto did make a quick trip to make more coffee, which was received with thanks from everyone.

The minutes ticked by with no report on the Doctor's condition or Donna's and Martha's progress. Just when everyone was starting to get antsy (moreso than they already were), Donna approached Jamie and whispered something in his ear. He nodded in reply as Donna went back to Martha and the Doctor; Jamie then approached Jack and the Torchwood team and told them what Donna had said.

"They've made the antidote," Jamie said, to a mixtures of cheers and sighs of relief. "They're giving it to him now."

"Are they injecting it into him through that tube?" Mickey asked.

"You can see for yourself, Mickey," said Jack, nodded in the direction of the Doctor.

Everyone turned to watch as Donna took out the tube from the Doctor's arm and as Martha replaced it with a newer one. The newer one would hold up better against the toxicity of the antidote, for the one they had been previously using was good, but a stronger one was needed. Otherwise, the older tube would not have fared well, to say the least.

"Ready?" Donna asked.

"When you are," said Martha. She took a syringe, full of the antidote, and inserted it into the tubing.

The liquid wound its way through the tube and everyone watched with bated breath as it entered into the Doctor's bloodstream. They waited. Nothing happened.

"Why is nothing happening?" said Mickey.

Donna looked at Martha, anguish in her eyes. Silence. Suddenly, the Doctor convulsed; he gave out a great gasp, breathing fast, then lay still.

"Doc!" Jack started to run forward, but Jamie caught him.

"It's all right, Jack," said Jamie. "The Doctor isn't dead. The antidote worked!"

And indeed it had. Whereas before the Doctor had been breathing only lightly, his chest was now rising and falling normally. Sighs of relief permeated the hub, then punctuated by the sounds of cheers. Obviously, everyone was ecstatic and exceedingly thankful that the Doctor would be all right. Martha and Donna went to the Doctor; while Martha began unhooking the medical equipment from the Doctor, Donna began buttoning his shirt back up. Once the two were finished, they had Jack and Jamie bring the Doctor back into the TARDIS, to his bedroom. There, they dressed the Doctor into a pair of pyjamas and tucked him under the covers. Donna stayed by his bedside for a little while, making sure he was ok, then went into the hub to join everyone else.

"How is he?" Jack asked.

"He'll be fine," Donna answered. He's unconscious, but that antidote Martha and I made for him is working. It'll just take a couple or so days for it to have its full effect."

Everyone looked relieved.

"Thank God he's all right," said Martha.

"Aye," Jamie agreed, nodding.

There was a slight pause, during which Ianto passed out more coffee that he had just made. As everyone stood there, sipping from steaming mugs, Jack inquired as to who Jamie was, exactly.

"I know you're someone significant to the Doctor," said Jack. "But how do you know him?"

"He used to travel with the Doctor, back in the day," said Donna.

"So did I," said Jack. "And so did Martha. But _how_ do you know him?"

"Like Donna said, I used to travel with the Doctor," Jamie replied. "It was back during his second incarnation. The doc plucked me from Scotland when I was fightin' the bloody English- no offense-"

"None taken," said Martha and Donna.

"Anyway," Jamie continued, "he plucked me from Scotland and I went traveling everywhere with him."

"But you weren't with the Doctor when I traveled with him," said Jack.

"Well, no," Jamie admitted. "I died when I was fighting some Cybermen and ended up aging to death."

"But he was brought back to life by someone with a special kind of ring," Donna finished. "Or so he said when we were imprisoned."

"Whoa, that's weird," said Mickey.

"Yeah," said Jack. "I wonder who revived you?"

"I've been wondering that same thing," said Jamie. "I try to remember as much as I can, but the only thing I _can_ recall is that the ring had some weird symbols on it."

Jack looked at Jamie thoughtfully. "Definitely strange, I give you that," he said. Then, turning to Donna, he said, "And what about you?"

"What about me?" Donna asked.

"Well, I know that because of the human biological metacrisis, a Doctor clone was created and you were transformed into a sort-of human-Time Lord hybrid."

Donna smiled, remembering what the Doctor had said about her being an Earth/Gallifreyan hybrid-girl. "Yeah. So?"

"So," said Jack, "I know that made you into quite the intelligent species. But what happened after that, after Martha, Mickey-boy, and I left the TARDIS?"

Donna told them her story, about how the Doctor had had to wipe her memories, and then a few months later, how she had been changed into a Time Lady. When she was done, Jack and the rest of the Torchwood team stared at her in wonder. Martha wondered how on Earth someone could medically go through something like that and still be alive to tell the tale, but she concluded that being around the Doctor tended to have strange effects sometimes. Jack equated it with how he had been brought back to life by Rose, after she had absorbed the Time Vortex. Mickey thought it was just plain _weird._

"Anyway, that's the tale," said Donna. "And if you pester me about how it feels to have two hears, I'll shove you into the Time Vortex myself."

"Been there, done that," said Jack, earning a round of laughter.

Everyone stayed in the hub for a while longer, talking and laughing, all relieved that the Doctor would be all right. Finally, though, Jamie and Donna announced that they would be leaving to go to Sarah Jane's house. So, Jamie and Donna bade farewell to Jack, Martha, and the rest of the team and stepped inside the TARDIS.

Once inside, Donna took the TARDIS to Sarah Jane's house, where it materialized in the attic to a rather shocked Sarah Jane; for she and Mr. Smith had been monitoring the ship belonging to Cadger and Davis. So their surprise and shock might be understandable, due to the fact that the ship itself had exploded, and neither of the two knew what had happened to either Donna or the Doctor.

It was to Sarah Jane's surprise, yet great relief, that Donna stepped out of the TARDIS, safe and seemingly unharmed.

"Donna, you're all right! But I was afraid…" Sarah Jane looked uncertainly at her.

"No, we're not dead," said Donna. "Obviously."

Jamie then stepped out behind Donna and took a quick glance around the attic. Upon seeing Sarah Jane, he grinned.

Sarah Jane stared at him a moment. Slowly, she said, "Doctor?"

oOoOoOo

Two more chapters left (with a sequel to follow)!


	22. On the Mend

Thanks for the reviews, xAngelus's Darlax, dreamcatcher386, DonnaLuvr, SPG inc., and Whas'up!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 22: On the Mend**

oOo

_Once inside, Donna took the TARDIS to Sarah Jane's house, where it materialized in the attic to a rather shocked Sarah Jane; for she and Mr. Smith had been monitoring the ship belonging to Cadger and Davis. So their surprise and shock might be understandable, due to the fact that the ship itself had exploded, and neither of the two knew what had happened to either Donna or the Doctor._

_It was to Sarah Jane's surprise, yet great relief, that Donna stepped out of the TARDIS, safe and seemingly unharmed. _

"_Donna, you're all right! But I was afraid…" Sarah Jane looked uncertainly at her._

"_No, we're not dead," said Donna. "Obviously."_

_Jamie then stepped out behind Donna and took a quick glance around the attic. Upon seeing Sarah Jane, he grinned._

_Sarah Jane stared at him a moment. Slowly, she said, "Doctor?" _

oOo

Without waiting for an answer, Sarah Jane hurried up to Jamie and placed her arms around him in a big bear hug. "Oh, Doctor!" she said, and the words gushed out from her like a fountain, "I was so afraid that something had happened, that you two had… but then I remembered, you're Time Lords! You can regenerate! And apparently you did; I hope it wasn't too painful! Oh, you have no idea how glad I am that you're all right!" Sarah Jane tightened her hug. "And to think, I thought you were dead! Silly notion, I realize that now, right, Doctor? Anyway, you may have been a bit better looking before, but I'm sure Donna won't mind."

"Och, aye!" said Jamie indignantly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Sarah Jane sincerely. "I didn't mean any offense, Doctor."

"Um… Sarah Jane?" said Donna, now rather amused.

"Yes, what is it?"

"That isn't the Doctor."

Sarah Jane tilted her head. "What?"

"He's not the Doctor," Donna repeated.

"Not the…?" said a now thoroughly confused Sarah Jane.

Jamie, smiling again, held out his hand. "Name's Jamie McCrimmon. I used to travel with him, back in his second incarnation."

"Oh my… I am so sorry; I thought you were the Doctor!" Even though she was embarrassed at the mistake, Sarah Jane laughed at herself. "Mr. Smith and I were keeping tabs on the ship and when it blew up, I thought…" She trailed off. "But wait. If you're both here, then where's the Doctor?"

"He's back there," Donna said, gesturing toward the TARDIS. She gave an explanation of why, telling Sarah Jane what had happened on the ship and how (and why) the Doctor had been injured, as well as the fact that he was now on the mend, thanks in part to Torchwood. Once finished, Sarah Jane asked to see the Doctor, so Donna led her to him. Jamie opted to stay in the attic to give the women some alone time with the Doctor, so while they were gone, he examined some of the alien objects that were lying around and asked Mr. Smith about some of them.

The TARDIS was parked at Sarah Jane's house for a week, during which Donna spent most of the time by the Doctor's bedside, and Jamie spent talking with Sarah Jane. Because Donna was with the Doctor much of the time, it was relegated to Jamie to explain to Luke, Rani, and Clyde what had happened and why the Doctor was lying in bed and not up and about, examining and exploring, as he usually was.

With each passing day, the Doctor got better. He was visited (though unknowingly on his part, due to the fact that he was still unconscious) by all of the team at Torchwood, even once or twice by Sylvia and Wilf, but mostly by Luke, Rani, and Clyde, and Sarah Jane and Jamie. Through all this Donna stayed by the Doctor, leaving only occasionally to use the restroom or to get a bite to eat.

On the fifth day after the spaceship had exploded and the TARDIS had landed in Sarah Jane's attic, Donna was to be found, once again, sitting at the Doctor's beside.

_Knock knock._

Donna looked up. Strange. No one was there. Wondering if, perhaps, Luke or Clyde had decided to pull some kind of prank by knocking and running (much like door-bell ditching), she got up and approached the open doorway. Donna examined the area and, after determining that no one had been there in at least a few hours, returned to the Doctor's bedside with a shake of the head.

_Knock knock._

Again, looking at the doorway, Donna saw no one.

"What in the-?"

_Knock kn-_

"I knew it!" Donna said triumphantly.

"Darn, you caught me." For the Doctor had woken up just a few minutes previously. He had opened his eyes just a crack to see Donna's head nodding, eyes closed, beginning to doze off. So, seeing an opportunity, the Doctor had given a couple knocks on a bedside table in hopes to fool her. And it had worked, much to his pleasure.

Playfully shoving the Doctor, Donna said, "You space man!"

"Oi! I'm sick and in bed. You shouldn't go shoving the ill around, you know."

"Bite me, time boy," Donna retorted. The Doctor laughed. "I can't believe you would trick me like that. I though Luke or Clyde were playing tricks on me. We're in Sarah Jane's attic, by the way. Sort of. Anyway, I didn't think you'd pull something childish like that."

"Well, I'm an old man," said the Doctor. "I wanted to revisit my childhood. After a fashion."

"That was nine hundred years ago." Donna raised an amused eyebrow.

"More or less," the Doctor shrugged, grinning. Donna grinned back. Out from under his covers, the Doctor pulled a small bag of sweets. "Jelly baby?"

"What?" Donna was caught off guard.

"Want a jelly baby?" The Doctor repeated, popping one into his mouth. "They're rather good."

"Um…no, thank you, Doctor," said Donna, wondering where the jelly babies had come from. She figured the Doctor must have a stash of them somewhere near his bed. In any case, the Doctor shrugged and put the bag back under his covers. There was silence between the two for a moment, which was then broken when Donna voiced something that had been on her mind.

"We were all pretty frightened for a time," said Donna. "Everyone thought you were a goner."

"Did they?" The Doctor asked. "Interesting."

Giving him an odd look, Donna asked, "What do you remember of it?"

The Doctor thought for a moment, then said, "Not a whole lot. The last thing I remember of the ordeal is seeing Jamie tackle Cadger and Davis and you running toward me. The next thing I know, I'm waking up here, with you beside me."

"Is that it?"

"Hm," said the Doctor, thinking some more. "Not quite. I do seem to remember, although I can't tell if it was a dream or not, but I do recall some type of fluid being put into my system and being in pain for a bit. Then nothing else until just a few seconds ago."

"That fluid was something Martha and I cooked up," said Donna. "An antidote that cured you."

The Doctor gazed at Donna, interestedly. "Really?" When Donna nodded, he patted the bed beside him and said, "Tell me what happened, then."

Donna climbed onto the bed and lied down beside the Doctor. She turned on her side so that she was facing the Doctor and, gazing into his eyes, told him everything that had happened. The Doctor was somewhat sad that Cadger and Davis had come to the end they did, but even he understood that had Jamie not done what he did, he, Donna, and himself would most likely not be alive. The Doctor most interested, however, in the fact that the gun had actually been real; he himself had thought it just a story when he made it up. But it just went to show that even he could be wrong sometimes (though he did not like admitting to it). Donna told him about how he had been taken to Torchwood and how the cure had been found, and then about how she had taken the TARDIS afterward to Sarah Jane's house and landed it in the attic.

"What did Sarah do when she saw Jamie?"

"Thought he was you," said Donna. The Doctor laughed, wishing he had been there to see that particular interaction.

After a while of small talk and chit chat, Donna left the TARDIS to go inform everyone that the Doctor was awake. She called the Torchwood first, then her mum and Wilf. After that, she headed downstairs and told Sarah Jane, Jamie, and Luke, who were sipping tea in the kitchen, the good news.

"That's great!" said Sarah Jane happily.

"So the old codger made it through, eh?" said Jamie.

"Yes, he's made it," said Donna, "He's going to be all right. Although, he did have a bag of jelly babies. He offered me one, but I have no idea where he got them. Or how."

"That's because I gave them to him," said Sarah Jane. At Donna's expression, she added, "I knew the Doctor was fond of jelly babies, so I took the liberty of placing a bag under the covers, next to his hand for easy access."

"Ah, ok," was all Donna could say.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Jamie, getting to his feet.

"What is it we're waiting for?" Luke asked.

"Now that the Doctor is awake, I think it's time we went up to visit him, don't you think?" He added in an undertone, "And here I was, thinking you were the smart one."

"Mum?" Luke turned to Sarah Jane.

"He's only joking, Luke."

"Oh, okay," Luke replied. Jamie winked at him. Luke smiled in reply.

"Come on then, let's get up there, eh? Can't keep the Doctor waiting!" With that, Jamie began heading out of the kitchen.

"No," Sarah Jane agreed, as she and Luke, and then Donna, followed in his wake. "Knowing the Doctor, he'd come to _us_ if he had to wait too long."

o

Two days later, the Doctor was fully healed and was able to get out of bed, much to his pleasure. Being the type of person he was, he did not like to be cooped up, or to be still for too long, so the time he had been forced (in his words) to lay down for two days had been most unpleasant. So as soon as he was told he could get up and move about, the Doctor sprang out of bed, scattering the remaining jelly babies, and hurriedly got dressed in his customary brown pinstriped suit (after Jamie, who had been the one to tell him the news, had left the room).

After he was dressed, the Doctor dashed downstairs to the kitchen. He hurried down the steps and when he came to the last flight of stairs, he paused. Grinning, he sat upon the banister and slid down the length of it; he was about half way when he heard a sharp voice.

"Doctor!"

Skidding to a halt, the Doctor looked round, behind him. There was Sarah Jane, at the foot of the stairs. Her arms were crossed and she had a stern look on her face. The Doctor looked at her guiltily.

"I was only having a bit of fun, Sarah Jane," the Doctor said, pretending to pout.

"Just because you're all better, it does not mean you can slide down the banister," Sarah Jane replied. "I have to keep telling Luke and his friends not to do that. The three of them look up to you, so I want you to set an example."

"Why? I don't want to set an example," the Doctor protested. "I take people traveling through time and space, I don't set examples."

"Ah, but you do, Doctor," said Jamie, coming to see what the commotion was all about. "Whether you intend to or not, you're always setting an example for someone."

"Oh all right," the Doctor groaned. Reluctantly, he got off the banister and walked the rest of the way down the stairs.

"I think all that lying in bed has made him loony," Jamie said to Sarah Jane in a carrying whisper.

"Oi! I am not loony!"

Jamie said nothing in reply as the three walked into the kitchen. It was noon, so lunch in the form of turkey sandwiches was on the table, accompanied by pears and glasses of iced tea. Everyone ate their lunch rather quickly, and then there was some discussion about what to do next. After a few moments, Jamie mentioned that he would like to return to Oxford for a little while. He did want to travel with the Doctor again, that was true, but he wanted to wait out the remaining semester and then retire so he _could_ travel. The Doctor obliged, and twenty minutes later, he and Donna were once again parking the TARDIS in the grove of trees behind the administration building.

"Well, Jamie, are you sure you don't want to just up and leave?" the Doctor asked. He, Jamie, and Donna were all walking toward Jamie's office. "I can always being you back to the very second we left. Give or take a nanosecond."

"No, thank you, Doctor," Jamie said with a laugh. "I want to do this for more peace of mind than anything. I fear that if I just up and leave, I'll always be thinking of the time when I have to get back to the classroom. Now I like teaching, don't get me wrong. But if I am to travel with you again, I don't want to have anything else in the way."

"Understandable," said the Doctor. They reached Jamie's office. "Well, see you in a few months, Jamie m'boy!"

"It was nice meeting you," Donna said. "And thank you for helping save the Doctor. It means so much."

"It was my pleasure," Jamie said. "And I should be thanking you as well, since you also played a part in saving him."

They both smiled, causing the Doctor to roll his eyes and declare, "Ok, let's not get too sappy."

"Shut up, space man," Donna replied.

"Oi! I'm only saying-"

"Yes, yes, I know," Donna interrupted. She stuck her tongue out at him, causing Jamie to laugh.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it, then," said Jamie. "Good bye for now. I'll look forward to seeing you again in a few months!"

"Likewise!" Donna and the Doctor said. The watched as Jamie walked off; when he disappeared into his office, the Doctor placed an arm around Donna's shoulders. Looking at her he said. "Well, shall we head back to Sarah Jane's?"

"Why can't we just go off someplace now?"

"I did promise Luke and his friends a trip in the TARDIS."

"Yeah, ok, space man," Donna grinned.

"So, let me repeat: Shall we head back to Sarah Jane's?" The Doctor grinned.

"All right, Doctor, let's."

With that, Donna and the Doctor headed back to the grove, and piloted the TARDIS once again to Sarah Jane's house.

oOo

One more chapter left, folks; but don't worry, there WILL be a sequel!


	23. Back to the TARDIS

Thanks for the reviews, DonnaLuvr, dreamcatcher386, SPG inc., xAngelus's Darlax, and TimeLadyofthePings!!!!!

oOo

**Chapter 23: Back to the TARDIS**

oOo

"_Well, I'll leave you two to it, then," said Jamie. "Good bye for now. I'll look forward to seeing you again in a few months!"_

"_Likewise!" Donna and the Doctor said. The watched as Jamie walked off; when he disappeared into his office, the Doctor placed an arm around Donna's shoulders. Looking at her he said. "Well, shall we head back to Sarah Jane's?"_

"_Why can't we just go off someplace now?"_

"_I did promise Luke and his friends a trip in the TARDIS."_

"_Yeah, ok, space man," Donna grinned._

"_So, let me repeat: Shall we head back to Sarah Jane's?" The Doctor grinned._

"_All right, Doctor, let's."_

_With that, Donna and the Doctor headed back to the grove, and piloted the TARDIS once again to Sarah Jane's house._

oOo

Once the TARDIS landed, the Doctor began doing something strange with his mouth. He would stick his tongue out, as though he had tasted something disgusting, and make a noise that sounded something like _bleach!_ Donna looked at him inquiringly and asked what was wrong.

"I have a nasty taste in my mouth," the Doctor replied. "It was that pear I had at lunch. I _hate _pears! _What _possessed me to eat it, I have no idea, but…" he gagged. "Blimey, that's disgusting…bleach! Not good!"

The Doctor began rifling through his pockets.

"What are you looking for?" Donna asked.

"Breath freshener," he replied. "I always like to have some on hand, in case I do anything stupid like eat a pear. Aargh, I can't find it! What's the use of having breath freshener if I can't even find it?" The Doctor complained. "Oh well. Let's get moving."

So she and the Doctor exited the TARDIS and into Sarah Jane's attic, where Luke, Clyde, and Rani were gathered.

"What are you three doing, faces pressed up against the TARDIS?" The Doctor asked them, for they had been on the point of entering it.

"We wanted to see how you were doing," said Luke. "We know it hasn't been long since you recovered."

"Really? What for?" the Doctor replied. Donna nudged him. "Oh! That. Well, I'm fine and dandy, as you can see."

"I think that antidote made his mind go a bit wonky," Clyde said to Rani in a carrying whisper.

"Oi! It did not!"

Donna laughed. "He was only kidding, space man."

"Yeah well…" said the Doctor. "Anyway, it's good to be out of bed! I hate being cooped up like some kind of domestic. Even if it was recently. I'll never set foot or body in a bed again."

"Domestic _what_ exactly?" Rani inquired with narrowed eyes.

"No, no! I didn't mean anything negative. Well, I did. But only a little! Blimey," the Doctor said. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"He didn't mean any offense, is what he's trying to say."

"Yes, thank you, Donna," said the Doctor.

"My pleasure," Donna replied.

There was a momentary pause, then the Doctor clapped both his hands together and said, "Anyway, you three… where's Sarah Jane?"

Luke pointed toward the staircase. "She's downstairs. Why?"

"There's something I wanted to ask her. Regarding you," the Doctor replied.

Surprised, Luke said, "About me? What for?"

"All in good time, Luke m'boy," said the Doctor. "Coming, Donna?"

"Way ahead of you."

Donna exited the attic, followed by the Doctor. Luke, Rani, and Clyde came after them and together, the five entered the living room. Sarah Jane was sitting on a sofa adjacent to the window and was reading a magazine. When the Doctor, Donna, and Luke and his friends entered, she looked up. Smiling, Sarah Jane greeted them warmly.

"I bet you're glad to be up and about," she said. "How'd the trip with Jamie go?"

"It went well," said Donna. "We dropped him off at Oxford then came straight back here."

"Good," said Sarah Jane. Then to the Doctor she said, "How have you been feeling? I know it hasn't been long since you regained consciousness."

"I'm good," said the Doctor. "Never been better! Although, I have to ask you… _Why_ did I eat that pear earlier? I _hate _pears."

Sarah Jane shrugged. Smiling, she said, "I'm afraid I don't know, Doctor. Sorry. Anyway, what is it you wanted?"

"I wanted to ask you something, actually," the Doctor replied.

"Really, what?"

"Well, as you might remember, I recently told Luke and his friends that they could come on a trip, with Donna and I, in the TARDIS," the Doctor began. Cheers erupted from Luke, Rani, and Clyde. The Doctor grinned at them. "And I intend to do just that. But I want them to have parental permission first, because they're so young."

"I'm not young, I'm sixteen," Clyde protested.

"And I'm over nine hundred," countered the Doctor. "So shush." Clyde fell silent, and the Doctor continued. "So, Sarah Jane, dear traveling companion, does Luke have your permission?"

Sarah Jane thought for a moment. "Well, all right, I don't see the harm. Just get them back in time for school on Monday." It was currently Friday afternoon.

"But that only gives us two days!" Luke complained.

"Ah, but my beautiful ship can travel in time!" the Doctor exclaimed. "We can go anywhere, anyplace, spend an eternity exploring the heavens, and we could arrive back here in time for school. Grand, isn't it?" The Doctor stood on the tips of his feet, then back down. "So go on, pack up some clothes! Then the five of us can go to Clyde's house so he can ask his mum, then we'll come back here so Rani can ask her parents."

"I can just ask them right now," said Rani.

"Yeah, true," the Doctor realized. "But let's get the furthest place out of the way first, that way we don't have to go out of our way. Hey, that rhymed! Sort of."

"You can take my car, Doctor," said Sarah Jane. "I don't think you should draw too much attention to yourself."

"And if we took the TARDIS, then my mum would think I was being abducted by aliens," said Clyde.

"Well, you have," Luke said with a shrug.

"_We_ have, you mean," said Clyde.

"When was this?" asked the Doctor.

"A year or so ago," said Clyde. "We were playing laser tag and all the best players got abducted. Some alien wanted to use us to fight in a battle."

"But you got back all right," said Sarah Jane. "Anyway, Doctor, you can use my car, if you want."

"Thank you," said the Doctor. "Luke, go pack up your things now. That way we can leave right when we get back."

Luke nodded. "Okay." He disappeared up the stairs. Five minutes later, he returned.

"All packed?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," Luke replied. "I ran up to the attic and put my bag in the TARDIS."

"Good man," said the Doctor cheerfully.

Soon after, everyone (with the exception of Sarah Jane) piled into the car. The Doctor drove them to Clyde's house well enough, with the exception of one occasion when the Doctor accidentally turned down the wrong street; but, he righted it, and soon arrived at Clyde's front door. Ignoring the Doctor's disapproval, Clyde told his mum that he would be spending the night at Luke's house. His explanation for the Doctor being there was that he (and Donna) were Luke's aunt and uncle. So, Clyde packed a few of his things in a hurry, and went back outside.

Next, the Doctor drove everyone back to Sarah Jane's house. It was decided that only the Doctor, Luke, and Rani would speak to Rani's parents. Donna and Clyde opted to remain at Sarah Jane's for some rest.

"So you want to go on a trip with this…Doctor?"

Rani nodded. "Can I go? Please?"

Rani's dad looked unsure.

"Please, Mr. Chandra?" said Luke. "I know you feel uneasy, since you don't know the Doctor, but he's an old friend of mum's, and I know he's trustworthy."

"Yeah, I'm trustworthy!" the Doctor exclaimed cheerfully. "Jelly baby?"

"Er…no, thank you," said Mr. Chandra, giving the Doctor an odd look. He turned to Rani. "Since he's friends with Sarah, I guess you can go. Just you keep my daughter safe, you hear? I don't want to hear she's turned into some kind of delinquent."

"Oh, of course not," said the Doctor. "I don't stand for that type of thing." He gave Luke and Rani a surreptitious wink.

"Good, good," said Mr. Chandra.

After some more talk, it was decided that Rani could indeed go with the Doctor. So, she hurriedly went to her room to pack up some of her things and then rushed back downstairs to the Doctor and Luke. The three headed back to Sarah Jane's house in a hurry, where they met up with Donna and Clyde. Then, they all said a quick good-bye to Sarah Jane before going upstairs to the attic, where the TARDIS awaited them.

oOoOoOoOoOo

The End! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I also hope you enjoy the sequel just as much, if not moreso, than this fic. The sequel is called Revelation of the Grove. I've already posted the first chapter, so feel free to check it out!

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